Dan opened his drawer the next morning, pulling out one wrinkled pink shirt after another. “What happened to my clothes?
These socks don’t even match!”
I walked into the room with an apologetic look. “Oh no! I must’ve done something wrong.
I’ll try folding them in threes next time, just like the rules say.”
He groaned, shoving his mismatched socks on before heading to work, completely defeated. I couldn’t help but smile.
By the end of the week, Dan had had enough. He was trying to eat yet another bland breakfast when Karen showed up, her usual smile plastered on her face.
She took a seat at the table, looking around approvingly.
“Lucia, I’m so glad to see you following the rules! Isn’t life easier now?”
I laughed under my breath. “Oh, Karen, you have no idea.”
Dan slammed his fork down, startling both of us.
“Mom, we need to talk.”
Karen blinked, confused. “Talk about what?”
“These rules… they’re insane,” Dan said, his voice rising. “I’m miserable, Lucia’s miserable, and this is not how we’re going to live our lives.”
Karen looked taken aback.
“But, Dan, I just want to make sure you’re being taken care of! I thought this was how marriage was supposed to be.”
“No, Mom, it’s not,” Dan replied, his tone firm. “Lucia isn’t my servant, and I’m not a child who needs everything done for me.
These rules are stupid, outdated, and completely unrealistic. We’re building our own family with our own rules, and that doesn’t include treating my wife like a maid.”
“But Dan—”
“No, Mom.” Dan stood his ground. “You’re not going to come to us with these outdated views anymore.
I love Lucia for who she is, and we’ll run our marriage how we want, not by some list of ridiculous rules.”
Karen sat there, stunned into silence. She hadn’t expected Dan to push back like this.
I smiled, finally feeling a sense of relief. I grabbed the ornate box from the kitchen counter and handed it back to Karen, but this time, there was a little note tucked inside: “Thanks, but no thanks.”
Karen slowly left the room, her shoulders slumped.
She now understood that her influence over our marriage was over.
Soon afterward, I turned to Dan. He wrapped an arm around my waist, smiling apologetically. “I’m sorry I didn’t say something sooner.”
I leaned into him, my heart finally feeling lighter.
“Better late than never.”
And with that, we began building our marriage — free of lists, rules, and outdated expectations.
Source: amomama
