He who wears the shoe knows where it pinches

He didn't know anything about babies except that they annoyed the hell out of him, and now that he had two on his hands, he thought he was going to lose his mind.
image.png
source
They lay apart from each other now, chests heaving softly and mouths slightly ajar, releasing purring noises as they took in and released air. He rose and ticked Day 2 on his calendar, running his eyes in horror through the remaining 28 numbers he was yet to tick.

Arthur only knew how to put numbers together. He could sit at his desk in the office for hours making sure the credit and debit sides were balanced accurately, but mixing formulas and changing diapers? They were certainly not chores he could get on his A-game with.

He wished he hadn't said those words to Bailey that night, but what did he know about the lives of women?

"Let me have dinner, please" he remembered loosening the tight knot at his neck while Bailey shuffled from foot to foot. He knew her, when it took her some time to respond to a command it meant there was something wrong. "What is it?"

She picked her nails like she did when she was nervous and dipped her head so her eyes would not meet his.

"I thought you were getting dinner" Her voice was barely audible now.

"You thought?...."

"I sent you a message. I've not had time to get to the mall, I've been really busy with the house"

He rose then, dumping the offensive tie on the dining table and walking over to the living room. He wiped the glass table that sat prettily in the middle of the room then wiped his index finger and thumb together.

"I see, you've really been busy"

"Arthur..." he had raised his hand then to stop her, then stormed into their bedroom and stormed out some minutes later to go over to Tracie's where food was sold almost round the clock.

The next morning when he woke up, Bailey was not in bed and neither were the kids, and it was just 6 am. Since he knew how troublesome they were, he knew that there was a possibility that she was giving them a bottle so he snuggled in till past 7.

Normally, she got up at 6:30 and woke him up to prepare for work while she made breakfast but the house was still very quiet, as if no one was in it.

He had hurriedly taken a shower and rushed over to work on an empty stomach. By the time he got back from work that evening, his wife was still not back and neither were his kids anywhere within sight.

She returned home at some minutes past 7 pm when he was gulping down a bottle of wine and for the first time since he married her, she was in a knee-length gown and stiletto heels.

She sashayed past him and handed an envelope over to him then began to take her shoes off.

"What's this?"

"My employment letter. I'm going to Paris in two days"

His wife had always wanted to be an air hostess and had warned against it because that would make them both unavailable for his kids. He had to be the one to provide for their food, clothing, shelter, and whatever extra needs they had while she had to be the one to keep the house tidy and the children in place, he told her even before they got married. So what was this talk about in Paris?

"I cannot continue staying at home doing nothing when I have so much to do with my life. I was a career woman before you met me, I agreed to ditch my career for you and what do you do? Constantly remind me that I do nothing"

"And that's why you had to take this decision behind me?"

Her brown eyes were flashing dangerously now, he knew Bailey, she barely spoke back except when she was genuinely furious.

"Yes, my dear husband. I've enrolled the kids in daycare but you have to take care of them during the weekends. That shouldn't be a problem since you're always at home on Fridays. I'm also going to work and make some money while you take care of the kids and do some chores".

She wasn't joking, she left 3 days ago.

Now that the show was on the other foot, Arthur wished more than anything that he could turn back the hands of time. She was going to be gone for 30 days and he couldn't imagine having to clean the tables, do the dishes, head to the mall, feed the kids and keep them company, and every other chore she used to handle.

The night before, he had pizza for dinner and he wasn't sure what he was going to have for breakfast. There were potatoes but he didn't know what to do with them. YouTube wasn't even helping because even with the videos, he had already ditched enough potatoes into the trash can.

It was going to be 7 am soon and since the twins had developed a strict habit of waking up every day at exactly 7 am, he knew he had to stand up and go about his usual duties or else he would not get any other thing done till they retired for the night.

He didn't know how to plead with Bailey but if he ever got a chance, he would do anything to make her know that he understood and respected what it was like for the shoe to be on the other foot.



0
0
0.000
21 comments
avatar

I've witnessed many situations where a woman leaves her job and is subsequently treated like a burden. I wouldn't advise any woman to take that step. It was especially wrong for him to ask her to quit her job in the first place.

0
0
0.000
avatar

She agreed to it quite alright but constantly being reminded that what she was doing wasn't enough, really got her.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Serves him right 🤣🤣🤣🤣. Now he knows that stay at home mom's are doing a lot

0
0
0.000
avatar

Sometimes we don't acknowledge what wife's and mothers do to keep the family running. It's usually not easy taking care of kids and all that.
I guess he found out the hard way 😂

0
0
0.000
avatar

I used to say that if roles were switched for even a day, men would appreciate women more. It's hard being a man but it's harder being a woman. If only they could wear the shoes for a while, they'll learn.
Beautiful writing, lovely piece.

0
0
0.000
avatar

I don't know if "it's hard being a man or harder being a woman" 😂😂😂 but if complimented well, everything goes well.

Thank you for reading, @chm-writes

0
0
0.000
avatar

The husband received a very hard lesson. I have always thought that housework is much more demanding than a job outside the home, it requires a lot of sacrifice and total dedication every day of the week.

Thanks for sharing your story.
Happy day.

0
0
0.000
avatar

He actually didn't see it coming.
Both are demanding. Prioritizing one over the other is where it doesn't make any sense.

Thank you for the support.

0
0
0.000
avatar

I loved how the contrast was created between Arthur's image as a numbers guy and the reality of having to care for his kids. The way the scenes were described, like Arthur trying to cook potatoes and failing, had me laughing. The writing is fun and easy to follow, and I enjoyed how the dynamic between Arthur and Bailey was explored.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Ever been in the shoes were you tried making a meal but it didn't turn out well? 😂 Glad you can relate.

Thank you so much, @bmo77 for the review.

0
0
0.000
avatar

It's not easy to manage house cores. It's highly demanding. I think leaving her job initially was a miscalculated decision. Arthur was matured enough to handle the burden that comes with it. Lesson learned and I hope they reconcile and forge a way forward.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Lolz, I can imagine how difficult that will be for him. He should give credit to women.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Speaking of a good representation of the theme of the week. Well, the shoe is on the other foot! Poor Arthur 😅 I've had to do housekeeping and I've seen how hard it is. I can't imagine taking care of babies too.

0
0
0.000
avatar

Taking care of babies is demanding not to talk of adding housekeeping to it 😪
If not careful, one could lose oneself.

Thank you for the kind words, @jadams2k18

0
0
0.000
avatar

Keep up the good work. 👏🎵

Dear beloved Hive creator,

Coding poet Gudasol here to support you sharing your art + life on Hive.

As a fellow creator, I know how hard it is to get the word out there.

I built cXc.world to help creators like us get more support from the blockchain community + beyond.

Share your music on cXc.world, and copy the Markdown for a easy post includes embedded players for Spotify, Youtube, Soundcloud.

That way, you can earn HIVE + stack streams on centralized platforms, as they do still matter.

Not a music creator? No problem. You can still use cXc.world to find + share music you love.

What's next?

Preview the next evolution of cXc, Tetra.earth.

Expose local music from your area!

We're helping grassroots musicians, and you can too by adding their music (no sign up or WAX account required).

how to add music on cXc.world

Join our community 🐬

Find fellow music lovers in cXc's Discord

Bad news: Saying see you later to Hive! 👋

We didn't get the needed support to continue cXc.world on Hive, as our DHF proposal lacked votes, but [Good News Everyone] cXc.world will add a Markdown copy button, allowing you to easily share your music + music you find on Hive.

For now, we're on WAX, with tools you can use to mint your own Music/Media NFT collection.

Curious about the future of Earth + ET relations? New economic systems?

Find more apps + art from Gudasol

Want to build tools like I used to share this?

I'd love to show you some tips on AI Code generation

0
0
0.000