Hearing like a woman

No.

That was your answer to the question I asked. A simple and emphatic "No."

The word rang oddly in my ears. It came soon after the query was posed and with an emphasis that had a slight "thou-dost-protest-too-much" air about it. In addition, the negative response was offered with no additional clarification .

You didn't usually answer questions this way and I wondered if your reply was an attempt to deflect attention away from some other emotion or viewpoint that you were trying desperately not to reveal.

Are you sure?, I asked, hoping that the additional probing would bring out your true feelings.

I don't remember the exact words that made up your smart-alecky response, but I remember that they hit me like a right hook I never saw coming.

After I recovered from the verbal blow, I asked if you were mad at me. You said you were not, but couldn't understand why your "No" wasn't taken at face value.

I explained that I don't just listen to words. I use a whole host of clues, such as tone, voice inflection, facial expressions, mannerisms, etc., to judge the veracity of someone's statement. My brain is not capable of only processing words and their strict Merriam-Webster meanings. I hear much more deeply than that, much more intuitively.

I hear like a woman.