Selfishness, Deceit You Name It
In the name of “teaching a lesson,” getting over the flu and “allowing” yourself to be seduced, we do such nasty things to each other! Here are some of the worst.
Jessica: “My husband I had been married for five years. He knew I had always wanted a bigger diamond for my wedding ring. When we got married, money was tight so a quarter of a carat had to do.
“At Christmas, we went shopping and he bought me a much bigger stone, which I loved showing off. The second day I had it, I took it off in the bathroom while I washed and when I went back for it, a half an hour later, it was gone. My husband had already left for work and it was just me and my 10-year-old son at home. I thought he had flushed it down the toilet.
“I was frantic! My husband was always telling me how careless I was with my jewelry. I called the plumber to have him take the toilet apart. I also called my husband’s boss at home to ask him to hurry up to work and tell my husband to call me because it was 8:30 and the office didn’t open till 9 a.m. I was crying so hard, she could barely understand me.
“Anyway, my husband finally called me back and I told him about the ring. He let me go on and on, and then he told me he had put the ring in his pocket to teach me a lesson about being careless with my jewelry.
“He meant to give it back before he left for work, but he forgot to!”
Jacqueline: “My college boyfriend and I reconnected after 20 years. From his ardent phone calls, I thought we could rekindle the old feelings. He came for a visit and caught a flu bug. He would call me at work and ask me to bring him home soup, medicine, Kleenex, magazines. As the dutiful, sympathetic hostess, I served him meals and pills and assured myself that once he got over his illness things would improve. Once he got better, I took him to see a neighboring village with authentic 19th century buildings. Since he was an architect, I thought he would enjoy it. He took photographs of the quaint settings, as I traipsed behind him schlepping his extra lenses and film.
“I was flattered when he finally asked me to pose alongside an 1875 schoolhouse. I scampered into view, and he directed me to the correct position, explaining, ‘You’re in this for scale.’ That evening, I dropped him off at the airport and offered a terse farewell. On my way from the gate, I heard the announcement that his flight had been delayed, but I just kept walking to the parking lot.”
Ricky: “She made a play for my twin brother, right in front of me and my entire family at the Thanksgiving table. Fool that she was, she didn’t realize that blood is a lot thicker than water.”
Kyle: “I allowed myself to be seduced by someone while I was with Carrie. I realized if I could cheat on her, I didn’t really love her and broke off the relationship.
“Several months later, I met the women who has been my wife for over 15 years. I love her unconditionally. I’ve always been faithful and I would never consider straying, although there have been opportunities.”
Holly: “One Easter, I used a week of my vacation to house-sit for my husband’s mother in another town as a favor to her. I used her car while I was there.
“When I returned home, I found a set of motel receipts in my car that my husband had used while I was away.
“Uncharacteristically, I drank a large bottle of wine and waited for him to come home. When he did, I showed him the receipts, hit him over the head with the empty bottle and told him I was filing for divorce, which I did the next day.”