A few weeks ago, my husband Jack and I planned a family trip to reconnect as a family. Jack works so much that we hardly see him, and the goal was to finally spend some quality time together, especially since our youngest is a 5-month-old breastfed baby. We set out Friday morning, excited to get our boat and head to our camp for the weekend. About 40 minutes into the drive, Jack got a call. He started saying things like, “Yeah, I’ll be there soon” and “What did you bring?”
After the call, I asked who it was, and he said it was Jamie, a coworker I had never met. It turned out, Jack had invited Jamie to join our family trip without telling me, thinking it wouldn’t be a big deal. I felt a surge of anger. This trip was meant for our family to reconnect. I didn’t want to nurse our baby or watch over our kids around a stranger while Jack socialized. He insisted it wouldn’t be like that, but I wasn’t convinced, especially since he said that Jamie had brought beer.
A Brewing Storm
As we continued our journey, I stewed in silence, my mind racing. Jack’s obliviousness to my discomfort made my blood boil. He chatted away, seemingly unaware of the tension building beside him. When we finally reached our camp, Jamie was already there, setting up a tent and unloading a cooler filled with beer. Jack greeted him with a hearty laugh, leaving me to manage our three kids and the baby.
I spent the first evening feeling like an outsider in my own family trip. Jack and Jamie shared stories and beers, while I juggled feeding the baby and keeping an eye on our other kids. Every time I looked at Jack, he was deep in conversation with Jamie, hardly noticing the chaos around him. It was clear that Jamie’s presence was a distraction, and my frustration grew.
The Perfect Plan
But my despair vanished when a perfect revenge plan came to mind. With a smile, I told Jack, “Be ready.” When I said be ready, he looked at me surprised, but then just said OK. The next day, I woke up early and made breakfast for everyone, acting as if everything was fine. I wanted Jack to think I had accepted Jamie’s presence. I even packed a picnic basket for later, playing the perfect hostess.