My Wife’s Vacation

By

Ronnie Redd Rice

©2026 Ronnie Redd Rice. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission from the author.

Hello, my name is Husky and Handsome. My wife and I were high school sweethearts, class of 2000. We got married a year after graduation and have been together for twenty-two years. We have one daughter, and my wife is an entrepreneur.

She deserves her flowers, but I shouldn’t get ahead of myself. The truth is, for the last month, she’s had some resentment toward me. I call it “stored pain.”

Each night, I come home from work and say, “What’s for dinner? Why does our daughter always have her friends here? Can you make me a dentist appointment?”

This went on and on until the pipe busted. One night, when it was bedtime, she unloaded on me. I used to think my house was a safe haven, but it’s not. It’s become a “do this and do that.” I watched my dad do the same thing with my mom, thinking daddy knows best. I promised myself it wouldn’t happen to me.

“We’ve been married for twenty-plus years,” she said. “You haven’t given me one compliment. You don’t clap for me for having a successful business, or for our marriage. Our bedroom has turned cold, so I’m taking a vacation.”

“What does that mean?” I asked.

“No husband, no daughter. I’m taking a solo trip.”

Me being me, I said, “Okay. Can I drive you to the airport?”

“No, I got this.”

“Can you tell me where you’re going?”

“In due time.”

Fellas, I tried to be chill. I was concerned, but I let her have her moment. So she left.

But for two days, I blew up her phone. Did I really miss hearing her voice, and everything she did for this marriage?

Hours later, my wife sent a video to our daughter’s phone. She let me see the video. In the video, my wife was having dinner on the beach in a grass dress. I could hear music in the background. She had a big margarita in her hand and the caption said, “Having fun in Jamaica.”

My first thought was, she’s there with another man. She’s found herself a young shabba. Stella has got her groove back.

The next day, she texted me and said her flight would be in at 3 PM. I had time to think while driving to the airport. Would she throw away twenty-two years of marriage after four days?

When her flight arrived and the people came out of the terminal, I had a big bouquet of red roses for her.

When I saw her, I gave her a big hug and a kiss. She loved the flowers.

Once we got into the car, I said, “I’m sorry. I should have asked about your feelings.”

“I was trying to please everyone,” she said. “And it took a toll on me.”

Any conflict that arises, whether you’re in a one-year relationship or a ten-year marriage, can be resolved. Go to counseling if need be. Get the skills and tools you need to build a happy life together. You don’t want her to become a track star and run from the relationship.

This is Husky and Handsome, signing off.