14March2025
Ive been chewing over a conversation I had with Charlie over a pint last night, and I cant shake the way its lodged itself in my mind.
Its the lot with Emma, isnt it? What on earth do you see in a wife whos gotten rounder after the baby? Shes swollen up, waddling about like a zeppelin. Think shell shed the pounds? Keep waiting itll just get worse.
Right, shes calm now, and I actually like the curves. She used to be as skinny as a twig now shes got shape.
I laughed at my own words, but Charlie slapped me on the shoulder before I could finish.
Hold your horses, mate. Forget what you fancy. Youll turn up at the Christmas office party with her and youll be mortified when the lads look at you. Youre a tall, broad bloke. Womens prime may be short, but us men are still good catches at any age!
I shook my head, still thinking I might have lingered too long in this marriage. Once I was a bit of a charmer, but Emma changed that. Shes gentle, pretty, and a brilliant cook you cant tear yourself away from the plate. Ive put on about ten kilos myself, and weve just welcomed baby Oliver.
You ought to swap wives as often as you change tyres! Charlie roared, clutching his beer. I divorced mine, now Im seeing Lucy. Shes young, fit, and if anything goes pear-shaped Ill just move on to someone else.
Since that night, Charlies words have been circling my head. I started echoing his ideas as if they were my own. Perhaps Ive been lingering too long in this marriage.
Emma, you youve, uh, put on I barely got a start before she, clutching our newborn to her chest, widened her eyes.
And what of it? Ive put on five kilos is that a tragedy? Im the one up half the night with the baby, working from home, handling the bills, paying the utilities, buying the groceries, cooking everything! And youre going to nag me about a few extra pounds?!
It felt like a pipe burst in her heart. She wanted to cry because I seemed to value nothing she was doing. If she walked out, Id be left drowning in all the chores.
Why do you harp on the kilos? Ive brought a whole human into the world, and youre fussing over weight!
Emma sniffed, took the baby to the nursery, and left me sitting in the armchair. If I had another wife, maybe she wouldnt shout.
Day after day, Charlies whisper grew louder. The more I thought about it, the more I convinced myself he was right. I wouldnt abandon my child Id help but having a backup never hurt.
Look at Lucy from the marketing team, Tom. Shes staring at you like youre the prize in a fair. Shes single, Ive checked. Shes stunning, athletic. She belongs on a painting! Next to her, Emma doesnt even compare.
Sure enough, Lucy lingered by the water cooler, a pretty young thing who glanced over now and then. I never noticed that fire in her eyes Charlie talked about, but hes the experienced one, so he must know.
Youll get home and a woman like that will be waiting heels, lace, all to make a bloke happy. And yours? Probably in a robe with baby spitup stains. Youre getting on in years soon itll be harder to find a girl.
Charlie patted my shoulder and trotted back to his desk, tossing a few cheeky jokes at Lucy. I felt a pang of envy; he could talk to any woman, snag a number, brag about a night out the next day.
I went to Mum, hoping for support, and told her how Emma no longer seemed right for me. Maggie, ever my ally, scolded me.
You little wretch, your wife gave you a child, works, runs the whole house, shes a beauty and you turn up your nose? Men are all the same, Tom. You never appreciate what you have, always sniffing around like wolves. One day youll be old and alone, howling at the moon.
Her words flew past my ears while I kept stealing glances at Lucy, convinced Charlie was onto something. Time marched on; Id never find someone that young again, no need for a crystal ball.
One evening I sat opposite Emma, who was rocking Oliver after another sleepless night. Dark circles under her eyes, her skin not as taut as before, her figure no longer the athletic shape it once was. I knew I loved her, but the thought of missing all those male chances terrified me.
Emma, I think we should part. Youve changed since the baby Ive realised a lot, maybe its time.
My words were vague, stumbling over themselves, making me feel like a fool. Emma didnt answer at first; she just looked at me with weary eyes, no anger, no disappointment. She laid Oliver in the cot, packed two suitcases, took the baby, and walked toward the hallway. She hadnt spoken until then, but now it was clear she was leaving.
I wanted to shout, to stop her, to fall to my knees and apologise. Yet the idea of humiliating myself in front of Charlie by spilling the whole tale made me bite my tongue.
You know what, Tom maybe you should live on your own for a while without me, without our son. When you had that accident and were bedridden, I nursed you for a year. I worked, cleaned your bedpans, forced you to do your exercises, found the best doctors, took out loans and paid them off. I never hinted at divorce or that things werent right, and you throw me out over five miserable kilos.
Emma turned and left, not waiting for me to process the horror of what Id done. I stood in the doorway, hearing her footsteps fade, feeling a crushing sense of an irreversible mistake.
The next day at work, nothing lifted my spirits. Everything slipped through my fingers. Charlie bounded over, clapping me on the back, Well, thats that go on and hit on Lucy. Shes a stunner otherwise Ill steal her from you.
I looked up, and Sen, my other colleague, seemed to understand.
Listen, Sen, I was an idiot trusting you. I had a wife any bloke would be jealous of! A son, a good family. I dont need your young chicks.
Youre sounding like a henpecked husband, not a man.
And a man in your book is someone who ditches his wife and child? Or a man who cant keep his pants on and hops from girl to girl? Or is a man to you a stray dog that bolts at the first swish of a skirt?
Charlie took offense at my rebuke, and the two of us erupted into a fierce row. I decided that if nothing changed, Id cut the friendship. With a best friend like that, you dont need enemies.
That very evening, I went back to Emma with a huge bouquet of roses, dropped to my knees, and begged forgiveness, openly admitting Id been fooled by Charlies tall tales. I blamed only myself and pleaded for a second chance. She forgave me; we moved back into our flat and tried to rebuild. It felt as if I loved her more than ever. The kilos, the tired look they no longer mattered.
I began to help Emma more, taking on nighttime feedings, doing the laundry, cooking when needed. She even signed up for a gym. Little by little, our relationship slipped back onto its old rhythm.
I promised myself I would never let vanity or a mates nonsense steer me again. The whole episode taught me a simple truth: you must always think for yourself and value what truly matters.
