Recently Howell responded to and e-mail from me that asked “If you saw me in the back seat of a police car, what would you think I had been arrested for?” His answer was, “Husband Abuse”. Last evening we shared that laugh with a house guest.
Now I love my husband but he is a procrastinator. Last Saturday I told him that I had cleaned the oven of our cooking stove except for the back wall which I could not reach without a lot of difficulty. I asked him if he would please wipe it off and he agreed to do so.
It still was not done on Sunday but being the Sabbath, I said nothing. On Monday I asked him several times throughout the day if he had finished the oven and he would snap his fingers and reply that he would do it as soon as he finished what he was doing.
Finally, I gave up in frustration and got down on my knees, stuck my head inside the oven and wiped it out myself. Then I couldn't get up and had to crawl across the floor to a chair for help in doing so. Howell realized what I had done, he apologized and told me that the next time I should keep reminding him to do what he agreed to do. I replied that if it came to a choice between nagging him and doing the job myself, I would rather just do it myself.
Early in our marriage he had volunteered to put away the clean dishes after I had cleaned the kitchen. He never remembers, so later that same evening I told him that they were ready. An hour or more later while we were talking and visiting with our house guest, I realized the dishes were still waiting. I turned to him, held one finger in front of his face and in a firm voice said “I am only going to tell you this one more time!”
At that, he jumped out of his chair, said he was sorry, ran into the kitchen and began to put the dishes away. I look at my friend and saw the most incredulous look on her face and shock in her voice as she said “How do you make him put the dishes away?” Only then did I realize how my threat to my “Abused Husband” sounded.
Sally
