– Dishwashers are for bachelors. My wife is an excellent dishwasher,” said a customer.
His woman at this point lowered her eyes. My heart just cringed.
Young family. One year old baby. They moved into an unrepaired apartment. At first they were saving their money, then they decided to do it themselves, but then they came to me. I came to take measurements, as we were going to prepare a design project.
The man gave me his opinion and told me where everything should be. He was stylishly dressed and wore an expensive watch. My wife could hardly stand on her feet. Bruised under the eyes, tired and droopy. She wore a stretchy robe and a bob on her head. Her one-year-old toddler was pulling her hair and wiping the remains of her breakfast on it.
– This room is small for a nursery,” I said.
– No, the big one will be the bedroom. There’s a balcony.
I was dumbfounded. Because the smallest room, the one that looked like a closet, was the one he’d chosen for the baby. But I did not enter into an argument – the customer is always right.
– A dressing table in the bedroom with or without a mirror? – I suggested.
– We don’t need one at all, – the customer answered.
My wife turned away again. We went into the living room. The man said he wanted a large sofa and a home theater. Also, heavy curtains and a bar counter. This was where he planned to meet friends and watch soccer. The whole time his wife followed him and didn’t get a word in edgewise. He wouldn’t even let her talk on the phone when her mother called her.
He cleared his way by throwing children’s toys around. He gave up the dining room table, the dishwasher, and other appliances that would have made life so much easier. My wife couldn’t get a single comment out of her. I decided to ask her myself:
– What would you like?
– Nothing…” she whispered after catching her husband’s disapproving glance.
For the rest of the time the man talked only about himself. He was setting up the apartment for himself, not for his family. I listened to him and refused to cooperate. I sent him a free project and asked him to buy a dishwasher for my wife with the money he had saved.
I don’t usually allow myself that kind of behavior, but this time I went against the rules. I can’t stand watching women being humiliated, being leveled and not allowed to say a word.
