Otoyomegatari - 28

It probably isn't very pleasant to be in Karluk's shoes when you live in a male-dominated society.

The relationship between Amir and Karluk has always been more complex than that of a couple with a smaller age gap. There's no question that they do love each other and that there is true romance between them, but it's also mixed with all sorts of uncertainties and embarrassment that are unique to their situation. Amir clearly holds some motherly concern for her husband and treats him like a child without meaning to, and Karluk obviously resents that; it's only natural that he would, under their circumstances. This is a culture where a man's word is law to his household, and one where they're expected to live up to the image of the family patriarch. Having Amir, his wife, coddle him hurts his pride, and he and the other men feel that she should stop worrying about him as much as she does. Of course, in reality Karluk really is a child. Thirteen might make him a man in society, but he's very much still a child in body and in development and thus he's vulnerable to the dangers Amir is concerned about (catching a cold in this time and place is very dangerous indeed). As such, their views clash, and while Karluk does succeed in getting Amir to look at him a bit more as an adult, it's unlikely she will stop worrying even if she pretends not to. As she herself tells Pariya, worrying about someone is a sign of how much you love them, and motherly instincts aside, Amir certainly does love Karluk.