The Mole and the Massage

I have a mole on my stomach that Todd absolutely loathes. It is about half the size of a pencil eraser, and juts out quite a bit. He loves to talk about pinching it off, cutting it off, ripping it off... It's a continual bedtime-conversation theme. It doesn't bother me, but the idea of personally destroying it does. Todd and I are opposites in this matter.

I grew up in a cuddly household. My mom and all my siblings give excellent back massages. I used to get a great back rub whenever my back hurt, or I had a headache, or someone in the fam just wanted to hang out with me and have a close conversation for a few minutes. That all went down the drain when I got married. Todd may be the worst back rubber in the universe. When I ask him for a massage, I usually end up frustrated and wishing I hadn't bothered, because he is so bad at it. He hasn't got the patience to just sit still and focus on my back muscles. He taps at me, and does weird squishes, or just halfheartedly runs his hand along my back without any pressure. It's so annoying. He needs a lot of practice.

Which is why I made a deal with him about ten days ago. If he gives me a GOOD back massage for five minutes five days a week until the baby is born, I will let him destroy my mole. I am torn about whether I want him to make it through December or not. I think it's a lofty goal for him to realize, but I really want those back rubs, especially when I hit third trimester! (He was gone for my entire third tri with Hazel, when you really need a back rub, so he really owes me!)

We've been hobbling along at it. Sometimes Todd doesn't want to do it, but a glimpse of the mole usually amps up his motivation. It's been so nice to get a little back rub before bed most nights. I could definitely keep this up for the next five months! I especially like that I can say when his massage isn't good enough, and stop the clock. He's really having to work hard to meet my expectations, and I'm delighted to say he's actually improving his massage skills.

Saturday night Todd was groaning about having to give me another massage, and he said something about me just waiting, one of these days he's going to bring home a bottle of ether, knock me out, and just cut that mole off while I'm unconscious and be done with both the mole and the massages. "You wouldn't dare," I said. Todd brought his face real close to mine, opened his eyes psycho-wide, and whispered, "I would do it in a heartbeat." He made me laugh, but I still wouldn't let him go to sleep until he had fulfilled his duties. So far, I am loving this bet.