In the last decade, book after book has been written about the women who solved codes during WWII. Tirelessly, they worked behind the scenes helping to solve secret messages that would help world leaders develop strategies. But what's new about that really?
Women have been cracking codes since the beginning of time. Even Eve knew that fruit was a puzzle. And what if that's where it started? And ever since, we've been breaking secrets wide open in our own quiet ways.
From reconning our baby's cry to studying our child's body language for signs of joy, exhaustion, hunger or needing a hug, we've been solving the code of the unspoken. It is in our DNA. Anyone can attain information, but add intuition and you get real power.
In 1981, my sister was 15. Her friend Melanie went to Myrtle Beach with our family. I was 10 and found them fascinating. I watched the two girls with hawk-like observation.
One night at a seafood restaurant, all five of us sat at a long picnic table eating crab legs. A teenaged boy at the next table tapped Leslie's shoulder and asked to use our table's cocktail sauce. She handed it to him, and they both returned to eating. A simple interaction.
Or was it?
For the rest of the meal, Melanie and Leslie's heads leaned together whispering and giggling, conferring and deciphering. Had that boy smiled at Leslie? Was his friend looking at Melanie? See if he's looking -- wait, not NOW! HE CAN SEE YOU. Did his hand touch yours when he got the bottle? It seemed like he made it last longer than it needed to, omigod he may be looking at us again! Didn't we see them on the beach yesterday? I think they are staying at the same hotel and what if we see them again tomorrow? Maybe they planned it omiGOD HE'S LOOKING AGAIN AND HE'S SO CUTE.
On and on and on it went. Even now, when my dad retells the story, he swears the analysis of the interaction lasted 30 times longer than the actual interaction. And he always finishes by throwing his hands up in the air and saying,"I'm telling you, NOTHING HAPPENED! The boy got the cocktail sauce and kept eating. Period." We always laugh because it seems to sum up being a dad in a family of daughters.
I used to throw up my hands too. However, now I am a mother of my own teenagers, and I am here to tell you that in hindsight, I am positive something happened at that picnic table. Only the females know exactly what. Probably the boy at the next table didn't even understand that anything had happened.
But that doesn't mean we are wrong,
Or that we will tell you our secret.
Cryptography.