I’m sorry, love. Wasn’t thinking clearly. He said he relinquished control to enthusiasm. Poor thing apologized sincerely, so I gave in. But little did I know that would be my great blunder.
It was meant to be temporary, but weeks became months. Having his best friend around would be wonderful for my hubby, Jake. He ignored the extra labor it would cause me.
“Don’t worry, babe,” Jake remarked when Alex came with his duffel bag and video games. The old days will return. This will be fun!” He promised they’d stay out of my way and not bother me.
Though I smiled, I was dreading the mess and living with two males. Jake and Alex were inseparable since college, sharing a passion of gaming and athletics. I preferred my tranquility.
Within days, the house changed negatively! Alex’s room was full of dirty laundry, snack wrappers, and empty beer bottles! Jake and Alex stayed up late.
Since our friend arrived, they only played video games or drank beer. I tried to sleep with a pillow over my head while their laughter filled the home. I felt overwhelmed by the extra cleaning.
Moreover, I was growing lonely. I discovered the kitchen in disarray one night after a long day at work. The counter had crumbs, the sink had dirty dishes, and the floor had a strange sticky material.
My patience ran out! “This has to STOP!” I said to myself with gritted teeth and fists. I confronted Alex alone with my husband. However, he and his pal were inseparable, making Jake hard to get.
When I saw my spouse alone, I confronted him. “Jake, can we talk?” I called from the doorway of his home office, where he was working while Alex played another video game in the living room.
I agree, darling. What’s up?” Keeping his eyes on the laptop, he said. “I’m overwhelmed by cleaning. Help me around here.” Jake hesitated and waved at me dismissively.
The response I got from him surprised me and hurt. He dismissed my worries, “Don’t be negative! You hate that everything is not about you. It’s just one more room to tidy. No big deal.”
His words sting! I was going to respond until I saw him back at work! He stopped acknowledging me! I left angry and hurt. I stayed up that night listening to my childhood buddies having fun!
I planned my next move then. I showed Jake what “not a big deal” means. I thought he should try it first. I picked up Alex’s trash early the next morning.
They would wake up later than me since they slept late. I tossed the empty cans, dirty clothes, and half-eaten food in Jake’s office. The room looked like war when they woke up!
“Hey, what the hell?” My husband shouted from his office when he entered. Since Jake worked from home, I thought tossing all the trash in there would have the largest impact. He needed a usable space.
I ignored him since I understood why he was shouting. Alex entered and laughed, “Wow, bro! The office is messy! If you want to work, fix that.”
He made breakfast and returned to the couch! Jake placed everything into one corner to work without confronting me. Over time, dirty dishes, strange socks, and leftover food piled up in my husband’s workplace, freaking him out.
“I can’t work like THIS!!!” he cried to the house. Sweetly smiling, I entered. “Jake, clean the one room. No biggie, right?” My spouse was furious, but my arguments prevailed. Alex appeared embarrassed.
I’m sorry, man. He grumbled, “I didn’t realize it was that nasty. “Maybe you should help out more,” I said, leaving them to clean up. The situation improved for days. Jake and Alex tried to tidy the house half-heartedly.
The mess returned, and my irritation returned. I confronted Jake one Friday night because I was fed up. He called me a party pooper in a heated fight. Alex tried mediation, but I ordered him to get out because he caused us stress.
I got upset when my spouse defended his pal. I was fed up! After packing, I contacted my best friend Lisa. “Can I crash at your place for the weekend?” I requested. Of course, hon. What’s up? “said.
I explained the issue, and she welcomed me. I appreciated Lisa’s apartment’s peace and cleanliness that weekend. It was a welcome break from cleaning up.
Jake called me Monday morning. He pleaded, “Please come home,” humiliated and desperate. My house is a mess, and I can’t find anything. Life is difficult with Alex!” After being silent all weekend, this man called me with nerve.
Though I felt sympathy, I remained firm. “I’ll come back when the house is clean, and Alex is gone.” Jake sighed. Ok, okay. Cleanup will begin immediately. Please return home today, love?”
“I’ll think about it,” I said, not wanting to commit and make him think he’d won. I was surprised when he emailed me a video showing them cleaning the house in minutes. I didn’t reply, but Lisa convinced me to go home.
I came later that day to find the house clean! Jake and Alex washed everything, and my husband’s friend packed. “Thanks for the hospitality,” he apologised. “I’ll find somewhere else to stay until the renovations are done.”
Jake hugged me as Alex went. I’m sorry, honey. It was more labor than I expected. Listening to you would have helped.” I warmed seeing his regretful eyes. It’s okay. We should work together, not you and Alex against me.”
Following that day, everything improved. Jake cleaned the house and helped more. Peace returned to our home, and our friendship strengthened.
After my husband’s best buddy resided with us for a few months, here is the additional bedroom. No words can explain the smell, but it’s lovely! The pain of having Alex over is now a lesson.
Jake grinned and hugged me. “And one we won’t forget.”
Normalcy resumed, but the event made us closer. We learned to communicate and respect space. I knew we could overcome any obstacles together.
A frugal husband learns a lesson after saving food from food banks. His wife manipulated the food bank director into understanding why the underprivileged need such services.
Inspired by true events and people, this work is fictionalized for creativity. To preserve privacy and enrich the story, names, characters, and facts were changed. Any resemblance to real people, events, or places is unintentional.
The author and publisher neither guarantee event authenticity nor character characterization and are not liable for misinterpretation. While this work is presented “as is,” the characters’ viewpoints do not reflect those of the author or publisher.
