Strange Actions of Ben Wa

I was visiting with a friend of mine and lunch time rolled around so we were in the kitchen making lunch together. Chatting away as we always do, about this and that and everything, it wasn't strange for me (who was looking for paring knife) to open the dishwasher since it wasn't in the drawer.

Smack bang - there they were! Ben Wa Balls, gold toned ones... in the dishwasher! I am not going to go into the virtues or vices of Ben Wa Balls here, for that you can go to the link.

Ok, let’s clarify - she is single and so the possibility of a partner finding them isn't there, but I am pretty sure that she didn't count on her friend finding them, or at least that's what I thought when I turned around and said.. 'and these?'

I couldn't bring myself to pick them up, just not something you do with someone else' sex toys. She didn't turn and answered, 'what?' Again, not being able to say the words slowly  B...E...N...W...A...B...A...L...L...S or even fast for that matter, I said "these." I did try to sound as though it was an everyday occurrence to find Ben Wa Balls in the dishwasher, but as anyone knows how I feel about the word 'try' - it's a nothing word - you either do something or you don't - and in this instance I failed miserably in my mission to sound casual.

My voice came across a bit strained, even I could hear it and she looked up. All she saw was my accusatory finger pointing downward and so she came to look. 'Oh those, they're Ben Wa Balls!' she said casually, not even going a slight shade of pink. 'I know thaaaaaat!' I exclaimed, 'what are they doing in the dishwasher?'

'Oh', she answered looking at me as though I had fallen out of the dark ages, 'I clean them in there. The heat and steam makes sure that every bit of bacteria is gone, dead.' My eyes must have been bugging out because she said, 'it makes me feel better about using them and knowing they are super clean, might be silly I know, but that's how I feel and it's my world, soooo...'

I remained speechless. I think she took this as a sign that the topic was over and starting chatting about her latest job.

This blog reminds me of that Zen story of the two monks who arrive at a river with a woman needing to cross. Now these monks came from an order where touching a woman in any way was forbidden and a very serious infraction of the ways of the order. The older monk piggy backed the woman across the river, put her down and carried on. Hours later the younger monk berated the older monk for what he had done, to which the older monk said quite simply 'I put her down hours ago, you're still carrying her.'

The picture of the gold Ben Wa Balls in the dishwasher is still being carried in my mind. Could this mean I am a prude or simply considering a new marketing campaign to sell more dishwashers to South Africans? You decide.