Ivan sat nervously in Father Abel's office. Father Abel was not his

  usual friendly, welcoming self, but looked at Ivan sternly.

  "It appears

  that young Aaron witnessed a very serious altercation between you and

  Mrs. Zakhrov three years ago regarding the purchase of your car. I

  want to hear your side of the story" said Father Abel, his eyes

  cold and hard.

  Ivan swallowed

  nervously and began:

  "It all started

  around 5 years ago when Aaron was 8. We had discovered his aptitude

  for programming and his high intelligence and decided to homeschool

  him. During one of his sessions with me, Aaron asked me why we didn't

  have a car and took Uber everywhere. I told him that I was saving up

  for a car that I always wanted - a BMW M5, and he offered to work on

  code projects for me so that I could get it quickly. That offer,

  while sweet, also made me sick to my stomach. I explained to him that

  him working for us to afford something is against the law, and that

  we grown-ups will take care of it. He still insisted on working on

  actual projects, so I told him that he could, but only for two to

  four hours a day, and for himself - not for us. At first, I thought

  that that would be the end of it, but the next day, Annette

  confronted me about telling Aaron that I always wanted a BMW M5 and

  was saving for it. She was quite upset that Aaron had changed his

  computer wallpaper to a picture of a Jaguar XJ220. She had forced him

  to delete it and sternly told me that big, loud and fast cars were

  impractical, expensive, synonymous with toxic masculinity, and that

  if I really wanted a car, to buy something more ecologically sound

  and practical like a Tesla or a Prius."

  Ivan paused, took a

  deep shuddering breath and continued:

  "Annette's

  statements and actions greatly offended me. I assured Aaron that it

  was alright to like fast cars and that Annette is wrong about them.

  He again offered to help me afford it, and that it would be his car

  too, I refused, and told him that I can do it myself, and he could do

  the same for his car for when he turned 16. It took two years of

  overtime, but that was totally worth it. I told Aaron to keep what we

  were doing a secret from Annette, and that the car will be a surprise

  for her, wrongly believing that she would warm to it. After all, it

  looks like a normal sedan. Once I confirmed the purchase and

  delivery, I took Aaron to the dealership. He was thrilled! He loved

  the sound of the engine, the whistle of the turbochargers, the sleek

  black look. We were both super excited to go home and see the look on

  Annette's face."

  Ivan paused again,

  his face a mask of pain. He took a deep breath and resumed:

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  "As soon as we

  pulled into the driveway I knew that I had made a terrible mistake.

  Annette was very quiet during dinner, drinking wine straight out of a

  bottle. Fearing that Aaron would come under her fury, I sent him to

  bed early. I had no idea he hadn't fallen asleep. The argument was

  intense. Annette accused me of toxic male behavior. She couldn't

  believe that I had the gall to go behind her back and buy a sports

  car. I tried to explain that the BMW M5 was a car that I always

  wanted, that a sports car is not a symbol of toxic masculinity and

  that the BMW M5 was very safe and practical as a family car. She

  demanded that I either return or sell the car. I refused and told her

  that I had worked extremely hard to get it and I deserve it. And that

  Aaron has already seen the car, loves it, and understands how hard I

  worked to be able to get it. To sell it or trade it in now will set a

  very bad example for him. She became hysterical and said that I was

  normalizing a self-centered and environmentally irresponsible

  attitude in Aaron, she got physical and tried to slap me. I

  restrained her and told her in anger to never dare try to hit me

  again. She again demanded that I either sell the car or she would

  leave and take Aaron with her. I was shocked and angry that she would

  destroy our family like this over a car. I agreed, but told her in no

  uncertain terms that she was no longer my wife, and that I am staying

  only for Aaron's sake and that I don't love her anymore. Hearing

  that, she relented and said the car could stay, but this was the last

  time she would tolerate toxic male behavior"

  Ivan stopped

  speaking, tears in his eyes.

  Father Abel placed a

  gentle, comforting hand on his. "What happened next?" he

  asked.

  "The next day,

  Annette was hungover and claimed to have no recollection of the

  previous night's fight. I decided that we should all go for a drive.

  Annette was disapproving and cold as we started, but she screamed in

  terror when we accelerated on the highway. I took a little pleasure

  in that to be honest." replied Ivan.

  Father Abel sighed

  wearily. "Have you and Annette discussed your ideological

  differences?" he asked Ivan

  "Yes, there are

  things we don't see eye to eye on. Cars for one, along with high

  heels, dress codes, and more risqué outfits. Annette is a woman of

  strong convictions. They've gotten even stronger now that they've

  introduced Diversity Equity and Inclusion training into her school

  curriculum." replied Ivan with a sigh.

  "Alright, those

  are Annette's beliefs according to you. What about your convictions."

  asked Father Abel.

  "I'm a simple

  man Father Abel. I believe in God and the Bible. I love my wife and

  son, and will do anything to keep them happy and safe, I'll admit

  that I've become more wary and weary with Annette though, I feel her

  brand of feminism is skewed towards a non-binary and potentially

  unhealthy perspective" said Ivan

  "I see. It

  appears that underestimating each other's convictions is what lead to

  this argument, and Aaron was caught in the crossfire." said

  Father Abel.

  "What do we do

  now Father?" asked Ivan

  "Well for now,

  young Aaron has internalized that argument, and is using that

  stoicism of his to suppress his desires. That is not healthy in the

  long run, however recent events seem to have had a positive effect on

  him. I don't foresee any lasting consequences," said Father Abel

  as Ivan breathed a sigh of relief.