As their usual Sunday routine \u2014 Kristen and Gary spend their morning doing chores at home before heading to the grocery store to plan for the week.<\/p>\n
But when Gary gets a phone call from his friends, he bolts \u2014 leaving Kristen to fork up the $650 bill and find her own way home. Who is more important to Gary, and what can Kristen do to teach him a lesson?<\/p>\n
For as long as I\u2019ve been married to Gary, we have had a set Sunday routine. We wake up, have brunch and then hit the grocery store. It\u2019s been this way for the past two years \u2014 it\u2019s how the system runs smoothly.<\/p>\n
So, it\u2019s a Sunday morning. I make us brunch while Gary sorts out the outside \u2014 mowing the lawn and so on.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you ready?\u201d Gary asked, as he came into the kitchen fresh from a shower. <\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d I said. \u201cDon\u2019t forget to take the shopping bags.\u201d<\/p>\n
We get to the store, and my husband and I have a ball of a time. We walk the grocery store per aisle, making sure that we got everything we needed \u2014 and then some. We were both foodies, so cooking together was our love language. <\/p>\n
Until Gary\u2019s phone rang, and I saw a different side to my husband.<\/p>\n
We were just about to start unloading our cart at the checkout when Gary\u2019s phone erupted with a loud ring.<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry, Kristen, but I\u2019ve got to take this,\u201d he muttered, stepping aside to answer. \u201cYou can start checking out, though.\u201d<\/p>\n
So I began to unload all of our groceries \u2014 the meat, the veggies, the fruit, not to mention the junk food and drinks that we had stocked up on, too.<\/p>\n
Moments later, Gary returned, looking both agitated and excited<\/p>\n
Listen, I have to run,\u201d he said, glancing at the groceries as the checkout guy went about scanning them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere do you have to go?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe guys are waiting for me. We\u2019re going to have some beers, barbecue, and watch the game together,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Gary put his hands in his pocket, and looked toward the exit.<\/p>\n
I thought that he was waiting for us to finish at the grocery store, then drop me off at home before taking off to his friends.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll see you later,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat? Now?\u201d I asked, puzzled. \u201cBut we\u2019re about to check out!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know, I know,\u201d he said hurriedly, swinging the car keys. \u201cBut I can\u2019t miss this, Kristen! It\u2019s a big deal, you know that the guys and I barely hang ou<\/p>\n
How am I supposed to get all of this sorted out and get home? You\u2019re getting a cab?\u201d I protested, my eyes darting between Gary and the growing line behind us.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat? No! I\u2019m taking the car. But I\u2019ll call you a cab!\u201d<\/p>\n
He hastily began to place items on the conveyor belt.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve got to dash!\u201d<\/p>\n
And with that, he was gone.<\/p>\n
Do you need help with these?\u201d the checkout guy asked. \u201cWe have people to help with these things.\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded. I couldn\u2019t believe that Gary had actually left me at a grocery store, just to go and drink with his friends.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat will be $650, ma\u2019am.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course, Gary had left without leaving any cash behind. It wasn\u2019t that I relied on him for money \u2014 it\u2019s just that we usually did this type of thing together. And $650 wasn\u2019t what I had expected our grocery trip to come to.<\/p>\n
I paid and wheeled the heavy cart outside. I stood looking at the parking lot, hoping that by some miracle, Gary would still be there.<\/p>\n
That he would be waiting for me.<\/p>\n
That he would have finally realized that he was wrong to leave me for an insignificant moment with his friends.<\/p>\n
I deserved better.<\/p>\n
After a few minutes, a cab drove by. The driver got out and helped me pack all of our groceries into the trunk, and we took off for my home.<\/p>\n
The more I thought about it, the angrier I got with Gary.<\/p>\n
What on earth could have possessed him to leave me alone? I felt hurt and disrespected. I hated everything about the way I felt. My husband had never made me feel this way before.<\/p>\n
I got home and unloaded all of the groceries. I was in a foul mood by then. So, I made a cup of tea and took it to my bubble bath. I needed to relax before thinking about how to get back at Gary.<\/p>\n
As I was sitting in my bath, sniffing the calming scent of lavender, I decided that I would cook myself a fancy dinner with all the ingredients I had bought.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo can play at this game,\u201d I thought, shuffling around the house in my socks and pajamas.<\/p>\n
I put on some music and I began to cook \u2014 I prepared an elaborate feast, grilled chicken, roasted vegetables, couscous, and the works. All of our favorites.<\/p>\n
The kitchen smelled heavenly, and I was in the zone. While waiting for the oven, I set the table meticulously for one \u2014 my resolve hardening.<\/p>\n
If there was one thing I knew about my husband \u2014 he would always check my social media, especially when he was away from me.<\/p>\n
So, I took photos while I cooked, and posted them on my socials.<\/p>\n
My stories were always perfectly captured, and I usually shared my cooking online. Shortly after I posted every story, Gary would \u2018like\u2019 it \u2014 and every time he did that, I knew that my plan was working.<\/p>\n
Sure enough, my husband would be with his friends \u2014 drinking and snacking and watching whatever game they said they were going to. But Gary wouldn\u2019t eat there, not when he knew that I was cooking at home.<\/p>\n
For good measure, I sent him a photo of my plate saying:<\/p>\n
Later that night, Gary returned to a clean kitchen without leftovers. I was lounging comfortably with a glass of wine and a book \u2014 the evidence of my solo feast neatly packed away at the back of the fridge.<\/p>\n
\u201cHey,\u201d he began uncertainly, after he walked in and out of the pristine kitchen. \u201cThe house smells incredible. Did you save me some dinner?\u201d<\/p>\n
I shook my head, a slight smile playing on my lips.<\/p>\n
\u201cActually, no,\u201d I said. \u201cBut you missed a great meal. Everything was so fresh!\u201d<\/p>\n
Gary\u2019s face fell as he glanced around to the dining table, as if hoping that there would be a plate of dinner for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t have dinner,\u201d he admitted.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh? Why not?\u201d I asked, crossing my legs.<\/p>\n
Because I saw your stories and I thought that there would be dinner for me, too,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
I remained silent. My husband knew exactly what he had done wrong. I just needed him to admit it.<\/p>\n
\u201cKristen,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m sorry I left you at the store like that. It was a last-minute thing with the guys and I didn\u2019t know what else to do. I wanted to be with them, I guess. And I knew that you could handle it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gary walked to the fridge and returned with a beer. He opened his mouth to start talking again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As their usual Sunday routine \u2014 Kristen and Gary spend their morning doing chores at home before heading to the grocery store to plan for the week…. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13637,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n