When I finally decided to go with my husband to his ex-wife\u2019s house, I never expected to see her in a fancy silk robe with perfect hair and shiny lips. But that was nothing compared to the look on her face when she saw me standing next to him.<\/p>\n
The day I met Jett was the day I stopped believing in random luck. We ran into each other at a bookstore, both grabbing for the same worn-out copy of \u201cThe Great Gatsby.\u201d<\/p>\n
Five years of marriage later, I still get excited when he walks through our front door after work.<\/p>\n
Well, most days, at least.<\/p>\n
\u201cLina, have you seen my toolbox?\u201d Jett called from the garage.<\/p>\n
I stirred the soup bubbling on the stove and glanced at my watch. 6:30 p.m. on a Tuesday. Dinner was almost done.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnder the workbench, like always,\u201d I called back.<\/p>\n
The clank of tools told me he\u2019d found it.<\/p>\n
A moment later, he stood in the kitchen doorway, toolbox in hand and car keys swinging from his fingers.<\/p>\n
\u201cGoing somewhere?\u201d I asked, already knowing the answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cVina called. Her garbage disposal is acting up, and she\u2019s worried it\u2019s a big problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
I put down my wooden spoon a bit too hard. \u201cDinner\u2019s almost ready.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know, I\u2019m sorry.\u201d He gave me a sorry smile. \u201cI\u2019ll warm mine up when I get back. Shouldn\u2019t take more than an hour.\u201d<\/p>\n
The front door shut before I could say anything.<\/p>\n
I turned off the stove and leaned against the counter, suddenly not hungry anymore.<\/p>\n
My husband doesn\u2019t rush when I ask him to hang a picture or fix the leaky faucet in our bathroom. But when his ex-wife called about a broken towel rack? He was out the door in five minutes.<\/p>\n
At first, I tried to stay calm.<\/p>\n
They have a history, I told myself. He\u2019s just helping out.<\/p>\n
But then came the third, fourth, and fifth call in just a few weeks. Clogged drain. Broken garage opener. Sprinkler acting weird.<\/p>\n
Each time, he\u2019d sigh and say, \u201cShe\u2019s got no one else, and I don\u2019t want the house falling apart.\u201d<\/p>\n
You\u2019d think he was talking about a historic mansion instead of the three-bedroom house they\u2019d bought together before their divorce. The house he insisted on still owning with her \u201cuntil the market gets better.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just business, Lina,\u201d he\u2019d told me when we started dating. \u201cWe both put money into the house, and neither of us wants to lose it.\u201d<\/p>\n
I believed him back then. But now, five years later, I was starting to question it.<\/p>\n
The next morning, I set a hot cup of coffee on the nightstand by our bed. Jett groaned and opened one eye.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat time did you get home last night?\u201d I asked, sitting on the bed\u2019s edge.<\/p>\n
\u201cAround eleven, I think.\u201d He sat up and rubbed his face. \u201cThe garbage disposal was okay, but then her kitchen sink started leaking. Had to swap out the seal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFour hours to change a seal?\u201d<\/p>\n
He sipped his coffee. \u201cShe made dinner. It felt rude to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him. \u201cShe made you dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t planned, Lina. She just felt bad about the time.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stood up and walked to the window, pulling back the curtains to let in the morning light.<\/p>\n
Our backyard needed work. The flower beds were full of weeds, and the deck badly needed a new coat of paint.<\/p>\n
But Jett? He was too busy.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know,\u201d I said, keeping my voice calm, \u201cour bathroom faucet\u2019s been dripping for three weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jett sighed. \u201cI\u2019ll fix it this weekend, I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n
But he didn\u2019t. Because Saturday morning, Vina called about a loose stair rail.<\/p>\n
One night, after he missed our anniversary dinner to fix Vina\u2019s garage door, I sat alone on our couch with a glass of wine and an untouched pie from our favorite bakery.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust tell me the truth,\u201d I said when he walked in at 10:30 p.m. \u201cAre you still in love with her?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jett looked shocked. \u201cWhat? No! Lina, how could you think that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s see,\u201d I counted on my fingers. \u201cShe calls, you go running. She needs help, you drop everything. Our faucet\u2019s been dripping for weeks, but her loose shelf is a crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n
He sat next to me on the couch, smelling faintly of wood dust.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not like that,\u201d he said, running a hand through his hair. \u201cShe\u2019s just clueless about fixing things. You know how to handle stuff. You\u2019re strong.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, I\u2019m punished for being independent?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, that\u2019s not what I\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s using you, Jett. And you\u2019re letting her.\u201d<\/p>\n
His face tightened. \u201cThat\u2019s not fair. She just needs help sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone needs help sometimes. But most people call a pro, not their ex.\u201d<\/p>\n
The talk ended like always, with Jett promising to set better limits and me pretending to believe him.<\/p>\n
A week later, I was in the middle of a work meeting when my phone buzzed with Jett\u2019s text:<\/p>\n
\u201cVina called. Kitchen flooding. Heading over now. Might be late.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at the words until they blurred.<\/p>\n
When I got home, Jett was grabbing his toolbox.<\/p>\n
\u201cOff to save the day?\u201d I asked, setting my laptop bag on the counter.<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t look up. \u201cIt\u2019s not like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFine,\u201d I said, picking up my purse. \u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n
His head snapped up. \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s go. I\u2019ll come with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want to come to Vina\u2019s house?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we\u2019re protecting your investment,\u201d I said with a tight smile, \u201cI should be there, right?\u201d<\/p>\n
He paused, then nodded slowly. \u201cOkay. If that\u2019s what you want.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 15-minute drive to Vina\u2019s house was quiet except for the radio playing softly. I watched familiar streets pass by, wondering how many times Jett had made this trip without me.<\/p>\n
We pulled up to a neat house with fresh paint and tidy bushes.<\/p>\n
Vina opened the door in a silky robe, her hair perfect, lips glossy. She froze when she saw me next to Jett.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh,\u201d she said. \u201cI didn\u2019t know you were bringing a guest.\u201d<\/p>\n
I smiled nicely. \u201cSurprise.\u201d<\/p>\n
She glanced at Jett. \u201cI didn\u2019t think you\u2019d bring your wife to fix pipes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jett walked past us both, heading to the kitchen.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere\u2019s the flooding?\u201d he asked, avoiding our eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis way,\u201d Vina said.<\/p>\n
I followed them through a clean living room. There were no signs of a woman panicking over house problems.<\/p>\n
The kitchen was just as spotless. The only \u201cflood\u201d was a small puddle under the sink that looked way too fresh. I\u2019d bet my wedding ring it wasn\u2019t there ten minutes ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just started pouring,\u201d Vina said. \u201cI was so scared.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI bet you were,\u201d I said softly, leaning against the counter. \u201cGood thing Jett\u2019s always ready to help.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jett glanced at me with a warning look, then checked the pipes. \u201cIt\u2019s just a loose pipe,\u201d he said after a bit. \u201cPass me the wrench from my toolbox, please.\u201d<\/p>\n
Before Vina could move, I grabbed the toolbox and handed it over. \u201cHere you go, honey.\u201d<\/p>\n
While he worked, I looked around. No signs of a man living here. No razors in the bathroom, no extra toothbrush, no men\u2019s shoes by the door.<\/p>\n
So, Vina wasn\u2019t calling Jett because she had a new guy who couldn\u2019t fix things. She was calling him because she wanted him here.<\/p>\n
\u201cWant something to drink?\u201d Vina asked. \u201cI made fresh juice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, thanks,\u201d I said before Jett could answer. \u201cWe have dinner plans.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jett looked up, confused. We had no dinner plans, but he stayed quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll fixed,\u201d he said after a few minutes, closing the cabinet under the sink. \u201cJust a loose pipe. Should be fine now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy hero,\u201d Vina said, touching his arm. \u201cI don\u2019t know what I\u2019d do without you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019d call a plumber,\u201d I said. \u201cLike most people do.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Jett washed his hands in the bathroom, I pulled a folded paper from my purse and handed it to Vina.<\/p>\n
Her eyes narrowed as she opened it. \u201cWhat\u2019s this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHelpful contacts,\u201d I said simply.<\/p>\n
It listed three good plumbers, a gardener, two electricians, and a screenshot of a popular dating app (circled with \u201cmeet new people nearby!\u201d written on it).<\/p>\n
And at the bottom, I\u2019d written, \u201cIf you keep calling my husband, I\u2019ll assume you don\u2019t know how to read.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face turned red.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think you\u2019re so smart,\u201d she whispered. \u201cYou don\u2019t know what Jett and I had.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know exactly what you had,\u201d I smiled. \u201cThe past. What we have is now and the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe comes running every time I call,\u201d she hissed. \u201cWhat does that tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat he\u2019s kind and loyal,\u201d I said. \u201cAnd you\u2019re taking advantage of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
When I heard the bathroom door open, I said loudly, \u201cYou don\u2019t need a man. You need a repair guy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jett came back into the kitchen, looking between us nervously. \u201cEverything okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGreat,\u201d I said, taking his arm. \u201cReady to go home?\u201d<\/p>\n
The drive back was quiet at first. Then Jett cleared his throat. \u201cThat was\u2026 weird.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas it? I thought it was eye-opening.\u201d<\/p>\n
He glanced at me. \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
I reached into my bag and pulled out a business card for a divorce lawyer. I\u2019d written the address on the back.<\/p>\n
Jett stared at it when we stopped at a red light. \u201cFor real? You\u2019re giving me an ultimatum?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot an ultimatum. A choice.\u201d I set the card on the dashboard. \u201cIf you want to keep fixing her house, you can live there too.\u201d<\/p>\n
The light turned green, but Jett didn\u2019t move right away. A car behind us honked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t see how it looked,\u201d he said finally, driving slowly. \u201cShe really does need help\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo do I,\u201d I cut in. \u201cI need a husband who\u2019s here. Who fixes our leaky faucet. Who shows up for anniversary dinners.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was quiet for a long time. Then he picked up the lawyer\u2019s card, looked at it, and put it in the glovebox.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll call her tomorrow,\u201d he said. \u201cTell her I can\u2019t be her fix-it guy anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019d do that?\u201d<\/p>\n
He took my hand. \u201cI choose you, Lina. Always have.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was three months ago. We haven\u2019t been back to Vina\u2019s since.<\/p>\n
I heard she found someone. A handy guy from one of the numbers I gave her. He fixed her water heater and brought her flowers, I heard.<\/p>\n
As for us? My faucet\u2019s finally fixed. And my husband? Let\u2019s just say he knows who really holds the toolbox in this marriage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When I finally decided to go with my husband to his ex-wife\u2019s house, I never expected to see her in a fancy silk robe with perfect hair and shiny lips. But that was nothing compared to the look on her face when she saw me standing next to him. The day I met Jett was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=36148"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36148\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36149,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36148\/revisions\/36149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}