Cruel and Unusual

It’s official. My husband, usually the picture of thoughtfulness, and chivalry, has demonstrated a new level of cruelty. When I left town, house in a mess, he told me he would have it all cleaned up when I got back. That thought is what I have clung to all these days, knowing I would come home to an immaculate domain, able to unpack the luggage and get on with life in a stress-free environment. But, to what do I come home? The same mess I left, plus the dishes on the coffee table from his evening movie-watching! Now, had he not SAID he would clean the house, it wouldn’t be a big deal. I would expect to come home to my normal clutter and chaos, deal with it, and go on. But, expecting the usual honey-I’ve-missed-you-and-spent-a-small-part-of-my-alone-time-cleaning-while-you-handled-the-kids-and-traveling-all-by-yourself-and-deserve-a-treat tidy home, that was also earnestly pledged in our final goodbyes on Monday, it was a shock. He told me on the phone earlier that he was sorry, but he didn’t get to finish the cleaning… I didn’t know it meant he hadn’t started. So, for those of you who thought he was flawless, I give you the new, tarnished man. He’ll probably be happy for my staining his polished reputation a bit, pleased to be among the ranks of average husbands who make no such promises, nor follow through with them. And, alas, I will forgive him, because, after all, he is my knight in shining armor, my true hero and love, and anything BUT an average husband. But, since I was thoughtful enough to buy him delicious easy-to-prepare meals while we were gone (NOT tv dinners, mind you, but Chicken Alfredo), and we left a whole dirt cake for him that he didn’t eat, I find it hard to argue that he won’t have to make up for this one. Hmmm… I see a massage in my future.