Whitney spends her time working crazy shifts as a trauma nurse, only to get home and take over the running of her home, all while her husband, George, refuses to lift a finger. But one day, he offers to make her life easier, claiming that he’ll clean up the house. Is he cleaning up the house, or a mess that he made?
George and I had been together for nearly 20 years. We’d raised our three kids, now off at university, and settled into a routine that was easy. So easy that neither of us questioned much. George worked hard and brought in most of the money, while I handled the house in between my shifts at the hospital.
It seemed to be an unspoken deal we had.
A smiling couple | Source: Midjourney
George didn’t lift a finger when it came to housework. Sometimes he would grab the groceries or wash a dish here and there. But other than that? The kitchen, the laundry, everything else?
It didn’t bother me. I never expected much help from George, and we never fought over it. We had our system, and for years, this seemed to work.
But then, everything changed.
A woman cleaning a kitchen | Source: Midjourney
I’d been pulling longer shifts at the hospital. The hours were brutal, honestly. The overnight, back-to-back shifts left me absolutely exhausted by the time I got home.
“Whitney,” George told me one night when I got home from work and was making a sandwich for dinner. “What are you doing?”
“Making something to eat before I start the laundry, George,” I said with a sigh.
A tired woman making a sandwich | Source: Midjourney
“You’re doing so much. Let me at least tidy up around here while you’re gone. I’m working from home tomorrow, let me do the laundry then.”
It was a rare act of thoughtfulness, and I was too exhausted to do anything else for the night. So, I agreed.
“Thank you, honey,” I said, dusting off my scrubs. “I’m going to shower and call it a night.”
He smiled and nodded, putting everything I used back into the fridge.
