I decided to put my husband to the test and said, "Honey, I've been fired!" even though I'd actually been promoted. He yelled at me and declared me useless. The next day, I overheard his conversation with my mother-in-law. What I heard... it left me frozen with horror... 😲😲😲
On the way home, a strange sensation suddenly came over me. What if Anton wasn't happy with my promotion? What if it irritated him, or worse, made him jealous? After all, I would earn more than him now. Wouldn't that be another reason for distancing? I knew that it had always been important for my husband to be the breadwinner, the protector.
Although we both worked and contributed roughly equally to the family budget, he liked to repeat that he was the breadwinner. There was a certain patriarchal pride in it, perhaps instilled by his mother, an old-school woman. That's when the idea came to me.
What if I test their reaction? What if I told you that I wasn't promoted, but fired? I'll see how he reacts: will he support me in this difficult time? And then when I see your sincere compassion and support, I'll admit that it was a joke and that, actually, I have good news. It probably wasn't the smartest decision on my part. Petty, even stupid.
But I wanted to make sure that my husband was still by my side, that he was willing to support me in any situation, just as he once promised at the altar. In good times and bad, in health and in sickness. When I got home, I found Anton with his laptop...
... "I've been fired." His reaction was completely different from what he expected. Instead of compassion and support, his face contorted with anger.
He slammed his laptop shut and jumped up from the couch.
"Fired. You've been fired." And this after having told you so many times that you need to be more responsible at work. But no, you always know better, you always do things your way.
I was so stunned by his reaction that I couldn't articulate a word.
⏬ Continued on the next page ⏬
