Whats with you and that Molly? Why do you even need a wife like that? She had a baby, got a bit round, now she waddles around like a big balloon. You think shell trim down? Sure, keep waitingitll only get worse.
But shes calm, and I actually like that shes got some shape now. She used to be as skinny as a twignow shes got curves!
Freddie was grinning as he talked about his wife, but his best mate Harry gave him a solid pat on the back.
Hey, dont get carried away, alright? Who cares what you think. Youll turn up at the Christmas office party with her and youll be mortified looking your mates in the eye. Youre a tall, broad, goodlooking bloke. A womans prime is short, but us men? Were still eligible at any age!
Freddie just shook his head. Still, a little seed of doubt popped upmaybe hed been stuck in this marriage too long. Hed once been a bit of a womaniser until Molly changed him. Calm, beautiful, kind, caring. And she cooks so well you cant pull yourself away from the plate. Freddie had put on about ten pounds since theyd tied the knot, and theyd just welcomed a baby.
Youve got to swap a wife out regularly, like changing tyres! Harry roared, laughing. I split up with mine and now Im seeing Lucy. Young, fit. And if anything goes pear shaped, Ill just trade her in for someone else!
After that chat, Freddie kept chewing over Harrys words. Harrys banter was getting under his skin, and Freddie started to think maybe hed lingered in this marriage far too long.
Molly, youve, um, put on
He barely got a word out when his wife, clutching their sleeping newborn, widened her eyes.
And what of it? Ive put on five kilosso what? Im the one looking after the baby, running on fumes, working from home. The whole house is on me: watching the baby, finishing work, sorting the bills, paying the utilities, buying groceries, cooking everything! And youre going to whine about five measly kilos?!
It felt like a pipe burst in Mollys heart. She wanted to burst into tears because her husband didnt value any of it. If she left, hed be alone with all those chores and drown in them.
Why are you harping on those kilos? I brought a whole human into the world, and youre stuck on weight!
Molly sniffed and drifted off to the nursery with the baby in her arms. Freddie stayed planted in his chair. If he had another wife, maybe she wouldnt be shouting.
Day after day, Freddie sank deeper into the ideas Harry had planted. The more he thought about it, the more he convinced himself Harry was right. He wouldnt abandon his childhed still helpbut having a backup never hurt.
Look at Gemma from the next department! Shes eyeing you like youre a prize! Shes single, I checked. Stunning, athletic. She belongs in a painting! Next to her, your Molly doesnt even compare! Harry said, strolling over to the table.
Sure enough, Gemma was by the water cooler, a pretty young woman who glanced over at her colleagues now and then. Freddie hadnt noticed any fire in her eyes Harry talked about, but Harry liked to think he knew best.
Imagine coming home and a woman like that waiting for you! Heels, lingerie, everything to make a bloke happy! And yours? Probably in a robe splattered with baby spitup! Youre getting oldersoon itll be harder to find a girl.
Harry gave Freddie a friendly squeeze on the shoulder, then headed back to his desk, tossing a cheeky joke at Gemma. Freddie felt a pang of envy. Harry could always strike up a chat with any woman, walk away the next day with a new number or brag about a wild night out.
Freddie dropped by his mum, Mrs. Thompson, to vent about how his wife, sort of, no longer seemed right for him. But Mum didnt back him up this time.
You little wretch, your wife gave you a child, works, runs the whole house, shes a beautyand you turn up your nose?! You men are all the same, Freddie. You dont know how to appreciate what you havealways sniffing around like wolves. One day youll end up old and alone, howling at the moon!
Her words rang past his ears. He kept stealing glances at Gemma at work, catching her looks, thinking maybe Harry was onto something. Time was marching onhed never find someone that young later. He didnt need a fortuneteller to see that. One day Freddie came home so wound up he could think of nothing but Harrys advice.
He sat across from Molly, who was rocking the baby after yet another sleepless night. Dark circles shadowed her eyes, her skin wasnt what it used to be, and she wasnt the athletic shape shed once had. He realised he loved her, but the thought of missing out on male chances terrified him.
You know, Molly, I think we should part ways. Youve changed since the birth. Ive realised a lot, and maybe it really is time.
His words were vague, stumbling, and he felt like an idiot, as if hed fallen for a scam and now kept looking away whenever anyone asked about it.
At first Molly didnt answer. She just met his eyes, and all he saw was wearinessno anger, no disappointment. She set the baby in the cot, grabbed two suitcases, and headed for the hallway. She hadnt spoken until then, but now she was clearly about to leave.
Freddie wanted to shout, to stop her, to drop to his knees and apologise. But the thought of humiliating himself in front of Harry by spilling everything made him bite his tongue.
You know what, Freddie Maybe you should live on your own for a whilewithout me, without our son. When you had that accident and were bedridden, I nursed you for a year. I worked at the same time, dealt with the bills, found the best doctors, took out loans and paid them off. I never once hinted at divorce or said anything was not right. And you threw me out with a baby in my arms over five miserable kilos.
Molly turned and left, not waiting for any realisation to dawn on Freddies bewildered face. He stood in the doorway, hearing her footsteps fade, and felt nothing but the crushing weight of an irreversible mistake.
The next day Freddie went to work with no mood for anything. Everything seemed to slip through his fingers. Harry bounded over, clapping him on the back like schoolboys.
Well, thats thatgo on and chase Gemma. Shes a stunnerotherwise Ill steal her from you.
Harry laughed, but Freddie wasnt amused. He looked up, and Harry seemed to get it.
Heres the thing, Harry. I was an idiot to believe you. I had a wife any bloke would be jealous of! I have a son, a decent family! I dont need your young chicks!
You sound like a henpecked husband, not a man!
And a man, in your book, is someone who ditches his wife and his own child? Or a man who cant keep his pants on, bouncing from girl to girl? Or is a man, to you, someone who cant stay faithful and bolts like a stray dog the second a skirt swishes by?
Harry took offense at Freddies outburst, and the two friends had a proper row. Freddie decided that if nothing changed, hed cut ties with Harry. With a best friend like that, you didnt need enemies.
That very day Freddie went back to Molly with a huge bouquet of flowers. He got down on his knees, begged for forgiveness, honestly admitting hed been swayed by his mates tall tales. He blamed only himself and pleaded for a second chance. Molly forgave him; they moved back into their flat and started getting along again. It even seemed to Freddie that he loved her more than ever. He no longer saw her as just part of the package.
To him, Molly was the most beautiful, the very best. To hell with the kilos, with the tired look. Freddie began helping more, taking on extra responsibilities with the baby. Hed sit with the child, get up at night, put him to sleep. He took over the laundry and the cooking when needed. Meanwhile Molly began to blossomshe even joined a gym.
Little by little, in tiny steps, their relationship found its old rhythm again. Freddie promised himself hed never do something like that again. For him, the whole mess became a solid lesson: always use your own head.
