CHARACTERS:
Wife: wearing mom attire
SETTING: A garden where the wife goes outside to get some air and pray.
Wife: (Looking up to the sky.)
Hey, ugh, God. I don’t do this too often and hope I’m doing it right, but I need to get something off my chest. Listen, I’m not happy about my husband’s promotion at work. There, I said it. That hug I gave him when he told me? Yeah, that was because if I tried to say the word “Congratulations,” I would’ve started sobbing. In fact, like you probably witnessed, that’s exactly what I did upstairs while he called his parents to tell them the news.
(Sits down on a nearby bench).
I know my reaction wouldn’t make sense to him— nor many others for that matter— as his pay increase will only benefit our family, and yes, we can always use extra money, but here’s the deal: the more he makes, the more they expect of him. Confused again? I get it! It does, in fact, seem like the extra workload will only fall on his shoulders; nevertheless, while he’s getting to work early, staying at work late, and on his phone all hours of the night, I will be the one carrying the rest of the weight. The dog, the shopping, the meal prep, the kids’ lunchbox notes, the driving to and from extracurriculars, the homework, the nail clipping, the bedtime stories— on top of my own career.
Why don’t I drop a few students, say no to a few writing jobs, or just be a stay-at-home mom like he always asks me to consider? Because I’ve worked too hard to get to where I’m at to let it go. And honestly that full-time mom gig is not for me. As grateful as I am for being able to be so hands-on and present in our children’s lives while they’re young, I crave the mental stimulation, the social interaction and the satisfaction of financially contributing.
Trust me, I am beyond proud of him and truly do believe he, of anyone I know, deserves this promotion, but just because his career pays more shouldn’t mean I should have to let mine go, right? I mean, I, too, have dreams of my own— dreams I’ve put on hold, so that he can achieve his. And I just don’t know how much longer I can keep waiting. Please help.
(Closes eyes and bows down head.)