Brittany was in her college for more than three months, and she was longing her home. She had never been away from her home for that long. As she was missing her family, one day she called her brother.
“Hey, bug,” she said to her brother, “I miss you a ton. How’s my favorite little man doing?”
As Ian heard his older sister’s voice, he was excited. “Britt! I miss you too! College is so far away. When are you coming back?” He said.
As they talked for hours, about college and Ian’s own school, Brittany asked, “So, how’s everything back there? Mom and Dad doing okay?”
Ian’s voice got lowered, “It’s okay, I guess. I really wish you could come visit, though.”
Brittany thought that something was wrong, and she needed a trip to back home to see what was going on. She then finished her projects earlier, and had created a time for herself to visit her home.
She was shocked to see her family in that state, where there was only laughter when she was in home. During the dinner, her father said, “…And why is dinner cold again, Megan? Can’t you do anything right?”
Brittany was shocked to hear that. Ian saw his sister’s shock, and he was not struggling with the situation too. He was nervous and discomforted.
When Brittany found Ian in his room, “Hey, bug,” she started. “What’s been going on with Dad and Mom? I heard him earlier…”
“Britt, it’s been… tough. Dad’s always on Mom about something. Like, if dinner’s a bit cold or if he finds a single speck of dust on the carpet. It’s like, no matter how much Mom does — cooking, cleaning, laundry — Dad finds something to complain about.”
As Brittany heard from her brother, she had came up with a plan. She was going to show his father what he was doing, and she was hoping to stop her father.
She waited until her father was home, and called his number.
“Hello?” Her father was surprised.
“Dad, it’s me,” Brittany said. “I’m at the ER. It’s… it’s bad. I need Mom here with me.”
“What? What happened? I’ll get your mom and we’ll be right there —”
“No, Dad, just send Mom. Please. I… I need her,” Brittany stopped her father.
As her father agreed, he hung up, and now she was on her second phase of her plan.
Then she texted to her mother, “Mom, don’t worry, I’m not in the ER. But Dad thinks I am, and he’s going to tell you to come. Don’t. I’ve booked you a ticket for a little vacation. You deserve a break. Let’s show Dad what you juggle every day.”
Then her mother responded with a text too, as she was worried, “Are you sure about this, Britt? What about you and Ian?”
“Trust me, Mom. It’s time Dad learned. Ian and I will be fine. Enjoy your break, you deserve it.”
On the next day, her father started to ask about his wife, and when she will return. As Brittany’s mother said that she will be bad in the evening, she didn’t returned.
On the other morning, Brittany appeared on her family house’s door. When her father opened the door, he was shocked to see his daughter. “Where’s your mother?” he asked.
“She’s taking a well-deserved break,” Brittany said, while she entered to messed home. “It’s just you and me for the next few days. And we need to talk, Dad.”
As her father sat on a chair, he explained that caring the house and fixing it was hard. “I didn’t realize how much work this was,” he said. “I can’t keep up with everything.”
“That’s the point, Dad,” Brittany said. “Mom does this every day, without a single complaint. She’s the glue that holds us together, and she deserves far more than being criticized over a cold dinner or an unclean carpet.”
As Brittany supervised her father, he understand that what his wife was doing in home was incredibly hard.
When her mother returned, “Megan,” her father started, “I can’t begin to express how much I’ve missed you, but more importantly, how much I’ve realized the weight of what you do for us every day.”
“Paul, what’s this all about?” The mother asked in confusion.
“These past few days have been… enlightening,” the father said as he hold Meghan’s hands. “I never fully appreciated the endless tasks and challenges you face daily. You manage them with such grace and efficiency. I’m sorry for not seeing it before, for not helping more, and for every unwarranted criticism I ever made.”
As Meghan hugged to her husband, “Thank you, Paul. That means more to me than you know.” She said.
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