My husband left me with heavy bags and a huge $650 bill at the grocery store to hang out with his friends — my response made him regret it.
This weekend, my husband Mike and I were at the grocery store, loading up on everything we needed for the week – a mountain of stuff. We’re at the checkout, bags nearly packed, and then Mike’s phone rings.
He says to me he’s gotta dash because his buddies are waiting for a beer and barbecue shindig. Just like that, he’s off — no money left for the huge $650 bill, no car keys, nothing.
I’m standing there, bags in hand, completely dumbfounded.
I was angry and on the verge of tears. But no way was I going to let this slide. My husband needed to learn, once and for all, that he can’t just treat me like that. So this brilliant idea pops into my head.
I made a decision to call a cab and have all the groceries delivered to his buddy’s house. I gave the cashier a knowing smile, paid the bill with my credit card, and directed the cabbie to load everything up. Then I called Mike’s buddy’s house and sweetly told him to expect a delivery.
Getting home, I didn’t even bother to call Mike. I just waited. Sure enough, within an hour, I got a call from him, furious and confused. “What the hell, Linda? Why are all the groceries here?”
“Well, Mike, you left me at the store with no way to get home and no help with the bags, so I thought I’d send them to where you thought was more important to be.”, I calmly replied.
There was silence on the line, followed by a begrudging apology. But that wasn’t enough for me. I had one more part of my plan.
That night when he got home, I was already in bed, but not asleep. I heard him fumbling around in the kitchen, no doubt putting the groceries away. He came into the bedroom, looking sheepish.
“Linda, I’m really sorry. That was a jerk move. I shouldn’t have left you like that.”
I sat up and yelled at him. “Mike, you need to understand something. I am your wife, not your servant. You can’t just leave me with all the responsibilities because something more fun comes up. This is a partnership, and you need to start acting like it.”
He nodded, genuinely remorseful. “I get it, Linda. I promise it won’t happen again.”
And from that day forward, Mike never left me stranded again. He even started taking more initiative with our shopping and household chores. Sometimes, a little tough love is exactly what’s needed to set things right.
