rushmore,
I assume you are within biking distance of me now. Do I need to come bitch slap you? YOU are the man. Be the man. You don’t ask your wife for permission for anything. She is your partner, not your boss. It’s OK to be loving, considerate, thoughtful, even romantic. It is not OK to be asking for anyone else’s permission for your own self-help needs. Tell her by all means, but never ask.
At this point, now that you have already screwed the pooch, you should say to her, “Honey, when I asked you about a pump and you said no, I felt hurt and angry that you would not consider my feelings and needs. I have adequacy issues and I need to deal with them the best way I can in order to feel happy about myself and with our marriage, even if you don’t care. I know you objected, but I went ahead and bought this because I need to be happy with myself. ” Women think emotionally; by appealing to her emotions with feelings and needs you will have a much better chance of winning her over than using “manly” logic. By saying, “even if you don’t care,” you will be obscuring your deed (buying the pump) with her own emotional coldness (which she will feel the need to defend, and therefore hopefully let the pump slip right by). And this also sets you up for further PE purchases down the road, as you are still “battling” with your feelings of inadequacy.
Never approach a woman with logic. They do not think that way, and will reject any such proposal out of hand. Approach her with your feelings, needs and emotions. And dude, stop asking permission. Be the man!
"In an honest Service there is thin Commons, low Wages, and hard labour; in this (Piracy), Plenty and Society, Pleasure and Ease, Liberty and Power; and who would not balance Creditor on this side when all the Hazard that is run for it, at worst, is only a sour Look or two at choaking. No, A merry Life and a short one, shall be my Motto."--Bartholomew Roberts