Paul, Iris’ husband, left her and their two children with only $20 for three days while he went to a wedding alone. Desperate and frustrated, Iris made a brave decision to teach him a lesson. What Paul saw when he came home stunned him and made him cry. Hi, I’m Iris. Life is not as perfect as it seems from the outside. I am a stay-at-home mom raising two little girls: Ollie, eight years old, and Sophie, six years old. My husband, Paul, has a stable job and although he is a good father who spoils the children with gifts, something has been going wrong for some time. Paul used to be more involved in our lives, but after the birth of our second child, he became increasingly focused on work. The spontaneous evenings and family moments disappeared. Every time I suggested doing something together, his excuse was always stress at work or needing personal time. At first I paid it no mind, but it started to bother me. Last week, the situation escalated. Paul came home one evening and excitedly announced that he was going to a friend’s wedding for three days.
My heart was racing, thinking we could get away from the daily grind, even if it was just for a short time. But my enthusiasm quickly faded when I learned that he was the only guest. “Why not me?” I asked with frustration in my voice. Paul explained to me that his friend Alex wanted a small and private event, without colleagues. This seemed odd to me, and I couldn’t help but ask, “Will there be single women there?” I bit my lip nervously, immediately getting annoyed at the sentence. I was married 3 days ago to a friend’s wedding and we left me and my sons for $20 – Knee pain after what happened next Paul’s mood immediately changed. “Iris, come on now,” he said, annoyed. I tried to downplay the situation by joking, “Just kidding! Stay away from the single women, OK?” Big mistake. What I meant as a joke turned into a big argument.
Paul accused me of being controlling and paranoid and lectured me about trust and healthy relationships. It hurt, especially because all I wanted to do was be closer to him. I couldn’t take it anymore. “I want to enjoy life too, Paul!” I cried through tears. “What good is all that money if you’re never here?” Suddenly, Paul pulled out a $20 bill, his face full of anger and sarcasm. “Take this,” he said, shoving the money into my hand. “Run the house with this money while I’m gone.” Before I could react, he stormed out angrily, leaving me speechless. I stood there, stunned. Did he really expect me to get by on just $20? With anger inside me, I ran to the refrigerator, hoping to have enough food. But the shelves were almost empty: a few juices, a cucumber, and a couple of eggs. I knew that wouldn’t be enough. My anger turned to determination.
If Paul thought I couldn’t do it, he would soon learn a lesson. My eyes fell on Paul’s coin collection, his pride. They were irreplaceable to him, but in my anger, I saw them as my ticket to teach him a lesson. With a heavy heart, I took the coins and went to a nearby antique shop. The owner of the shop, a well-educated man, looked at the collection and offered me $700. Iris retrieves Paul’s beloved antique coin collection | Source: Midjourney I hesitated, but finally agreed, as I needed the money to fill our empty refrigerator and teach Paul a lesson. With the money in hand, I filled my basket with groceries: fresh produce, meat, and enough candy for the kids for a week.
