I found out my spouse was on vacation just as I was about to surprise him with lunch at work. I followed him the next day, confused and doubtful, and at my sister's house I found a shocking secret. The truth hit me so hard that I had to rethink everything I had ever believed about my family and my marriage.
I decided to surprise Ben with lunch at work last Tuesday. All morning long, I had made lasagna, his favorite food. Because I was alone with the students at school, I thought it would be a nice thing to do. What kind of husband or wife wouldn't be touched by a homemade dinner and an unexpected visit from her?
The receptionist at his office gave me a puzzled look as I walked in.
As she gazed at the lasagna I was holding, she said, "Are you here to support Ben?"
Indeed, my only intention was to buy him lunch. Is he here?
She hesitated. Ben has been on vacation for the last two weeks.
I tried to process what she had said while standing there in disbelief. While away from work? Every day this week, he told me, he would be working late. My gut knotted up, and cold sweat beaded on my forehead. After I thanked her, I left.
At home, I tried to solve it. Maybe we didn't understand each other. What kind of misunderstanding, however, lasts for a whole two weeks? Something was really wrong, I kept feeling it. Naturally, being a suspicious wife would lead me to follow him the next day.
