I thought becoming a mother would change my life, but I never expected it to make me disappear inside my own home. One small plan with my best friend exposed just how uneven my marriage had become, and what happened next forced me to decide how much of myself I was willing to give away.
“Glen, give me my keys.”
My husband sat on the couch with my car keys hanging from two fingers.
“No.”
For a second, I thought he was joking.
Our four-month-old daughter, Ava, had finally fallen asleep after a rough morning, and I was already 20 minutes late to meet my best friend, Sasha.
“Glen, give me my keys.”
I held out my hand.
“Come on. I’m late.”
Glen didn’t move.
“Honey, you’re not going anywhere.”
That’s when my stomach tightened.
“What do you mean?”
“Come on. I’m late.”
He nodded toward Ava’s bassinet.
“You need to stay home with her.”
I stared at him.
I’d told him three days earlier that Sasha and I were meeting for coffee. Glen had the day off, and Ava was fed, changed, and sleeping.
I’d even put two bottles in the fridge.
He nodded toward Ava’s bassinet.
“I told you I was going out.”
“And I heard you.”
“Then give me my keys.”
He tossed them once into his palm.
“You wanted a baby, Nicole.”
“So did you.”
“I told you I was going out.”
“I work all week.”
I almost laughed.
Since Ava was born, I handled the night feedings, diapers, laundry, meals, appointments, and most of the housework.
Glen came home tired. Apparently, I wasn’t allowed to be tired because I was home.
***
Two nights earlier, I’d asked him to keep Ava for an hour so I could take a bath.
“I work all week.”
What happened next changed everything… FULL STORY on the next page.
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