I was reading a lovely article about a couple who walked five kilometres from a village up to a ski station to watch a bicycle race fly by.

I was maybe two-thirds through the story when I noticed their names: “Pierre and Marie”.

In the last paragraph, I noticed their names once again: “Pierre and Marie”.  And I had a thought …

Always the man’s name first.  Why do writers do that?

Expecting no difference from the norm, I scrolled back to the beginning.  And there they were in all their glory: “Marie and Pierre”!  Thank you, dear scribe.

Why men first – historically and now?  I could research it but I don’t want to.  It’s just inappropriate.

Why does “men and women” slide off the tongue so easily but “women and men” feels like a stutter?

And more:

Husband and wife … Wife and husband

Boy and girl … Girl and boy

King and queen … Queen and king

Romeo and Juliet … Juliet and Romeo

Gays and lesbians … Lesbians and gays

Actor and actress … Actress and actor

***

Much of life is a mystery to me