What DOES single mean?

I am "single". It means to me, that I share my home/life/time with no specific person. I have a guy, and I love him, but he doesn't live here, and I don't get to see him much.

Other meanings of the word, though, have been bothering me. This is about Single in the South...

Single means you can be asked to work late, and no one thinks you should complain because the 'married women with kids' get to go home on time and spend time with their families. You're single, so you don't have a life, do you?

Single means you don't mind being paid less than the married woman because 'she has kids, and she needs it.' Yeah...of course, you don't have any bills to pay, do you? You're single...

Single means your holidays are a minefield of well-meant invitations. You learn quickly not to say, 'oh not much' when asked what you're going to do for Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Labor Day, Groundhog Day... because they will invite you to take part in *their* holiday. Nothing is more fun than hanging around with people who are annoyed that they can't be sitting around in their underwear because there's company, while their children are running wild and screaming and hitting you with their toys... I was once invited to Thanksgiving dinner with the family of the bookkeeper at the shop (she's not there anymore, thank god). Asked what I should bring, and she suggested maybe some rolls. I found out when I got there that she expected me to COOK THE ENTIRE MEAL. Seriously. She had no idea how to cook a turkey...and no clue how long it took. Never did get to eat that meal... but I took the #@$@ rolls home.

Single also means people can give you gifts of stuff they don't want. One year, my neighbors, in an act of charity, gave me a box that contained several rotten oranges, some limp celery and an apple that looked like someone's science experiment. I waited till they left and then took it to the garbage cans...but dang, they could've saved me the trouble - THAT would have been nice. Just throw away your own crap...I don't really want it. I suppose if I'd been braver, I could've told them that. I didn't. I did the polite society thing: 'oh thank you SO much, just what I wanted!'

Single means you aren't expected to have good taste... Once while shopping with a couple of the married women from the print shop, on a Dallas blow all your money tour, we came across some very nice vases with artificial flowers in them. While B and NJ took a rapid look at the brightly colored ones, I was in agony over a black alabaster bowl with three white roses...it took my breath away. I wanted it so bad...to have bought it would have cost me the rent, so I didn't. But B saw me looking at it and said, oh, that's gorgeous. I wouldn't have expected *you* to like that. So, not only was I expected to have lousy taste, but to not want nice things...

Single means you bought all your own jewelry, or have it left over from the last marriage. You're not expected to want anything very fancy, though.

Not sure where I'm going with this one after all...so I'll quit. I only wrote it because the Tree asked for it... and it was all that was in my mind.