My Husband Teased Me at a Pool Party, Saying I Wasn’t as Attractive as His Brother’s New Wife – So I Put Him in His Place, and He’ll Never Forget It
***
I dropped the kids off at daycare, made it to my meeting with 30 seconds to spare, and told myself the same thing I’d been telling myself for weeks.
I’d carried Carl through his rough patch. Now it was my turn to lean on him for a bit. That’s how marriages work.
***
That night, I collapsed onto the couch next to my husband after finally getting both kids down. He was watching something.
That’s how marriages work.
“Long day,” I said.
“Yeah, mine too. Job stuff,” Carl responded.
“How’d it go?”
“Slow,” he replied. “Hey, babe. Not to be a jerk, but once things settle down, maybe you should really think about going to the gym. You’ve gained a lot of weight lately.”
I turned my head. “Sorry?”
“I just mean, Alice makes it look so easy. The classes and everything. Might be good for you.”
“How’d it go?”
Alice was Carl’s new sister-in-law (SIL) and his brother Steven’s wife.
I actually laughed because if I didn’t, I was going to cry into a throw pillow that still smelled of spit-up.
***
I was overwhelmed by work, exhaustion, caring for a baby and our three-year-old, and the constant chaos of having two young children. There was always cleaning or cooking to do.
I actually laughed.
With my crazy schedule, I’d stopped taking care of myself.
I’d forgotten what going to the gym was like. I’d forgotten what it was like to wear makeup, heels, or dresses.
There simply wasn’t time for any of it.
***
“Carl, I haven’t peed alone in three years.”
“I’m just saying.”
“I know. It’s fine.”
I let it go because I was sure he didn’t mean it the way it sounded. I was sure of a lot of things back then.
“I’m just saying.”
***
The next few weeks blurred together.
