Man left 'humiliated' over joke present his wife bought to teach him a lesson – The Mirror
The woman’s other half had an annoying habit that had worsened since they married but she didn’t expect his worrying response when she gave him a tongue-in cheek gift to make fun of the problem
Generally people fall into two camps – those that are always bang on time or early and those who are habitually late, flustered and apologetic. Depending on which side of the fence you are on, will usually shape your views on lateness – some see it as downright rude and tardy and others relate to the problem.
One woman, whose husband falls into the latter category and was never on time to meet her, thought she would make light of the issue by buying him a silly present – but the joke backfired and his reaction left her reeling and out in the cold in their marriage.
Sharing her pain with Reddit readers, she explained that ever since they started their relationshipfour years ago, her hubby had always been late but since they tied the knot, his time keeping had got even worse. "It never really bothered me before," she said, "because he was usually late of maybe (sic) 10 minutes but since we got married he's now usually late of 30 minutes, sometimes he can even be an hour late. I talked to him about it but he just brush (sic) it off every time saying he never does it on purpose and that's just how he is."
She went on to reveal that on a shopping trip she saw a cheap plastic watch so decided to get it for him as a little joke about his lateness, but his reaction to the prank was nothing like she expected: "My husband was not happy when I gave it to him, he said it was of really bad taste and that I was humiliating him over something he can't control. He threw the watch in the trash and refuses to talk to me, no matter how hard I’ve tried."
The distressed wife was left feeling terrible because she said she didn't do it to humiliate him, she merely thought it would be funny and may even help with his time-keeping. Her mum had advised her to give him time, ironically, and believed he would come round when he realised it was "just a silly thing".
Her post generated a big reaction, with one user getting straight to what they saw as the crux of the problem: "'Can't control it'? Is he late for anyone else? Does he show up an hour late for his job? For a business meeting? For people whom he respects? Because it sounds to me like he doesn't respect your time, and putting a ring on you makes him feel he has more leeway," they said.
The wife confirmed he wasn't ever late for work, which prompted others to reply. "So it's just YOUR time he doesn't respect, got it," said one, while another said: "Exactly. When it doesn't matter. His wife's time doesn't matter to him." A third simply added: "His wife doesn't matter to him."
Others shared their own issues with time keeping and how they deal with it. "I'm admittedly someone who isn't very punctual when it doesn't matter," said one honestly. "My work is lax about when we come in, I pop in late sometimes without intending to. Sometimes i really need to be somewhere for work early in the morning and I'm able to do it. Despite not having a good 'body clock routine' I'm able to make it work because I have alarms, choose to go to sleep early if I've got an early morning ahead of me, etc."
To which another commenter responded: "What you described is what adults do when they know they have an issue with something. I have autism and no concept of time so I can be really, really early or really, really late and seem to have no control over it. so I do the same as you. Lots of coping mechanisms in place and so I'm usually really really early for important things and happily sit and chill whilst waiting. OP's husband is being a d*** for no reason."
Others pointed out the silent treatment he was giving her was also a dangerous thing: "Long periods of not talking are also manipulation," one said. "Instead of addressing the issue of his constant tardiness, he's turning the tables to make you feel guilty for supposedly 'humiliating' him. He's an a**hole."
Do you agree? Let us know in the comments below.
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