Banter

There are a few special people in my life with whom I can lob good-natured insults and jabs, and they can dole it right back in equal measure. And after the end of our bantering session, we are closer friends than before.

One such individual is my chiropractor. It's fairly apparent that I'm his favorite patient ever and enjoys crunching my spine more than the others. I know this not because he told me so or because he's ever once complimented me (except on my large child-bearing hips on the X ray). No, no. It's because he teases and insults me incessantly. "How's your back feeling?" he'll ask.

"It hurts," I'll reply.

"Where?" he asks, with false irritation.

Picking up on our cue to bather, I respond "Oh, everywhere. Everything is awful. I have such a bad chiropractor."

"Yeah, well I have a bitchy whiner for a patient."

"Bitchy!? HOW do I let you get away with that? I should come back there and smack you."

"No you'll sue me--lawyer."

And on and on we go. The best is when I can catch him off guard and cause him to double over laughing. This is how I know that I have won our bantering session, and we can move on to discussing my husband or his kids. Oh yeah, and adjusting my spine. I suppose that's part of it, too.