What Marriage Does To You 1: Armrests

We all know couples change over time. Young couples are as different from older couples as Freddy Krueger is from a Carebear. It's not the age of the people involved that matters - it's often the amount of time the couple has already spent together.

At a recent family outing to watch Batman Begins, I sat with my brother while my mum accompanied my dad in the row behind us. Being the elder brother, I took it upon myself to educate my brother in the intricacies of managing the removable armrest, especially when watching a movie with a girl.

See, I told him, you can raise the armrest. Any idiot can do that. Behold the genius, however, who knows when to do it, how to do it, and most importantly, why it is so important to raise the armrest.

My brother shot me a most disapproving and chastising look. Not everyone is desperate or hum sup kor, he said. Hum sup?, I responded, eyebrow rising. Who said anything about hum sup? Do you know how much easier it is to share the popcorn with the armrest up?

Back to the topic. After my brother was sufficiently educated in the Way of the Armrest, we turned around and enthusiastically decreed the importance of the raised armrest to my parents. My mum was the more enlightened of the two, for she complied by raising the armrest.

Then my dad protested. Where am I going to rest my arm now, he asked, and promptly replaced the armrest.

Tada.