When Julia’s husband, Jordan, refuses to buy eggs for their children, she’s furious but lets it happen. Until she discovers he’s secretly stocking her mother’s refrigerator. Julia is determined to teach him a lesson about priorities, but what starts as petty revenge turns into a conversation that could change their marriage forever.
I never thought I’d write a rant about eggs, but here I am.
Egg prices are really crazy right now! And if you’ve been to the grocery store lately, you know they might as well be a luxury item.
But for us?
Egg cartons in a supermarket | Source: Midjourney
Eggs aren’t just a breakfast staple. We have two toddlers, two growing children who need eggs in their diets.
So when my husband, Jordan, casually told me that we should cut back on groceries and skip the eggs, I was furious.
But I let it go.
Until I found out where the eggs actually went.
And let’s just say Jordan will never be confused about his priorities again.
Two little boys | Source: Midjourney
Last Monday, I called Jordan as he was coming home from work.
“Hey, honey,” I said. “Can you buy a few dozen eggs? The kids are growing up, and you know they have a breakfast routine. And please buy some bananas, too.”
There was a pause. I heard Jordan turn off the radio. Then, the audacity.
A man driving a car | Source: Midjourney
“Julia, have you seen the price of eggs lately? We don’t need them that much. The boys can do without them. Elijah doesn’t even like eggs, he’s just used to the routine. And Levi eats anything. We should start cutting back on groceries.”
Reduce ?
On food? For our little ones?
My grip tightened around my phone.
“We’re not cutting corners on our kids’ basic nutrition, Jordan. Maybe you should cancel your gym membership. It’s not like you’re using it anyway.”
A woman talking on the phone | Source: Midjourney
My husband sighed as if I was the one being unreasonable.
“They’re just eggs, Julia. They’ll be fine. Give them more fruit or something.”
I pressed my lips together to keep myself from screaming or arguing further.
You want to play the “we need to save money” game, Jordan? Okay, let’s play , I thought.
Annoyed man driving a car | Source: Midjourney
I got the boys in the car and we went to get the eggs ourselves. I added chocolate bars and fresh fruit. I even added yogurts and milkshake bottles.
It’s not much.
At least that’s what I thought.
That weekend, we visited Carolyn, Jordan’s mother. Carolyn didn’t bother me too much. She generally played her role as stepmother and didn’t try to micromanage how I raised my boys.
A woman standing in a grocery store | Source: Midjourney
So when she asked us to bring the children so she could spend some time with them, I agreed. And since she’s not the kind of grandmother who cooks for her grandchildren, I packed them lunch boxes.
When we got to her house, I went to put the lunch boxes in the refrigerator. I mean, who wants to eat room temperature ham and cheese sandwiches?
And that’s when I saw him.
A sandwich on a plate | Source: Midjourney
A refrigerator full of eggs.
I’m talking about a refrigerator full to bursting. Boxes piled on top of each other. My mother-in-law was either preparing for the apocalypse or about to make omelets for a hundred people.
I looked at them and swallowed.
Egg cartons in a refrigerator | Source: Midjourney
What is this?
“Wow, Carolyn!” I said. “Where did you get so many eggs? I swear, I can’t even find a dozen at a decent price these days!”
She beamed, completely oblivious to the war raging in my brain. Jordan and I were on opposite ends of the spectrum, each preparing for battle.
“Oh, Jul,” she said. “I know the struggle. It’s been so hard to find eggs, let alone decent sizes and the prices to match. But Jordan bought them for me. He’s so kind! He brought them to me yesterday so I wouldn’t have to search for them.”
A smiling elderly woman | Source: Midjourney
My stomach collapsed.
I turned to Jordan, who was raiding his mother’s snack cupboard. And this man, this man who had told me eggs were too expensive for our children, had the nerve to look guilty.
I exhaled slowly.
Not here, Julia. Not here and not now.
An open kitchen cupboard | Source: Midjourney
I knew Jordan. If I called him out in front of his mother, he’d immediately go on the defensive. Carolyn would rush to his side, make excuses while providing the kids with store-bought snacks, and suddenly, I’d be the bad guy.
Instead, I smiled.
“Wow, Jordan, that’s really nice of you!”
His shoulders relaxed. He really thought he’d dodged a bullet.
An upset woman standing in a kitchen | Source: Midjourney
Oh, poor naive.
The whole way back, I remained silent.
I wasn’t angry. I was calculating.
And Monday morning?
Operation Priorities was in full effect.
Monday morning dawned and Jordan sat down at the table, expecting to eat his usual eggs, toast, and sausage before work.
A plate of food | Source: Midjourney
Instead of this?
I made him a single slice of dry toast and a cup of black coffee. No sugar.
“Um… where’s breakfast, Jul?” he asked, blinking at his plate.
I gave him my best smile.
“Oh, honey,” I said. “I’ve had to cut back on groceries. Eggs are too expensive, remember? And honestly, so is milk. And sugar. Don’t even get me started on the sausages. How are we supposed to live?”
A slice of toast and a cup of coffee | Source: Midjourney
His face tightened.
“Julia,” he said, wrinkling his nose. “Come on! It was about the kids, not me!”
I tilted my head.
“Well, if our own children don’t need eggs, Jordan, I think you don’t either.”
He sighed and took a bite of his pathetic eggless toast.
An annoyed man sitting at a table | Source: Midjourney
“I’ll take care of the kids now,” I said. “Have a good day.”
He mumbled something under his breath, but I was already walking down the hall.
The next morning?
Jordan had to eat the same sad breakfast.
And the next one.
And the next one.
A woman walking down a corridor | Source: Midjourney
There were eggs in the refrigerator. If Jordan hadn’t been so lazy, he could have opened the refrigerator and found them. He could have made his own breakfast. He could have managed on his own.
But he didn’t. Because that’s what Jordan was all about: lazy and selfish .
On the fifth sad, eggless morning, he finally cracked.
“Okay, okay! I got it!” he said.
A man standing in a kitchen | Source: Midjourney
I looked up, feigning innocence.
“Understand what, Jordan?” I asked, making myself a cup of tea.
“I shouldn’t have bought eggs for my mom while telling you to cut back, Jul. That was selfish, okay? But when my mom called, I just… I couldn’t say no. Can I have some eggs now?”
A cup of tea | Source: Midjourney
I leaned back in my chair, arms crossed.
“Oh, I don’t know, Jordan,” I said, dipping my shortbread into the mug. “Actually, I was thinking of sending the ones I just bought to your mom. Since, you know, she’s the priority around here.”
He groaned, rubbing his face.
A box of shortbread cookies | Source: Midjourney
“Okay, okay, Julia,” he said. “I messed up. I know. I should have put the kids first.”
I let the silence hang for a while.
Then ?
I got up, walked to the refrigerator and grabbed an egg.
A woman standing in front of a refrigerator | Source: Midjourney
Only one egg.
I placed it on his plate.
“There. That’s all you’ll get today, Jordan,” I said. “Maybe tomorrow… if I feel like it, you’ll get two.”
His jaw dropped.
“Julia! What am I supposed to do with a raw egg?”
An egg on a plate | Source: Midjourney
“Oh, shh. Figure it out. Frying an egg isn’t difficult. And you should be thankful I didn’t send it to Carolyn.”
Jordan groaned, staring at the egg on his plate as if it had personally offended him.
“Julia,” he tried again, his voice softer this time. “Listen. I can explain.”
I didn’t say anything. I just leaned against the counter, arms crossed, waiting.
An explanation? Any other excuses?
A woman leaning on a kitchen counter | Source: Midjourney
He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face, his usual stressed expression.
“It’s not just because of the eggs, Jul,” he said. “Work has been tough. They’ve sent employees back to the office, and I keep thinking… what if I’m next? What if something happens? I’ve tried to save wherever I can, just in case…”
I blinked, my posture softening a little.
“You never told me that, Jordan.”
A stressed man | Source: Midjourney
“Because I didn’t want to stress you out too much. You already do so much with the kids, the house… everything. I thought I could take care of it, you know?”
“By not buying eggs for our children?” My voice wasn’t angry now, just disappointed.
Jordan exhaled, staring at his plate.
“It was a stupid decision, okay? I just… I panicked. My mom called and said she was having trouble finding eggs, and I just…”
A man sitting at a table | Source: Midjourney
“And what about you? Have you forgotten your own family, Jordan?”
His jaw tightened, and he took a deep breath.
“Julia was a single mother. She worked three jobs to feed and educate me. I know she’s not struggling now, but when she asked for something… I didn’t know how to say no.”
I studied him, observing the tension on his face. For the first time since this ridiculous egg saga began, I saw the underlying guilt. Not just about the eggs, but about letting people down. Letting his mother down. Me. Our children.
A smiling mother and son | Source: Midjourney
“Jordan,” I said, my voice calmer now. “I get it. But do you know what’s worse than saying ‘no’ to your mom? Telling your kids their dad won’t even buy them food.”
His gaze lifted to meet mine.
“I hadn’t thought of it like that.”
“Well, you should,” I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “Look, I know money is tight. But we’re a team, Jordan. You can’t decide these things alone, and you certainly can’t put your mother before your own children.”
A woman standing with her arms crossed | Source: Midjourney
He swallows hard and nods slowly.
“You’re right,” he admitted.
I sat down opposite him, holding out my hand.
“Next time? Talk to me. Don’t cut back on food anymore, don’t make me look like the bad guy. We’ll find a solution together.”
Jordan’s fingers tightened around mine.
I could hear the children’s alarm clock ringing. The little monsters would soon take over the kitchen.
An awakening | Source: Midjourney
“Together,” Jordan replied.
“Now, do you want an omelet?” I asked.
My husband smiled at me and just like that, everything was fine again.
Pan-fried Eggs | Source: Midjourney
I didn’t think much about the conversation with Jordan afterward. Things went back to normal, Jordan went grocery shopping, the kids got their eggs, and I stopped serving him his “cheap” dry toast breakfasts.
But last Friday, something unexpected happened.
I opened the refrigerator to get some eggs for the boys’ breakfast and almost dropped the carton in shock. Instead of the two or three cartons I usually bought, there were six.
Eggs in a refrigerator | Source: Midjourney
I turned to my husband, who was standing by the coffee maker, scrolling through his phone.
“Jordan? All this?” I asked. “Did you burglarize a farm or something?”
He looked up, a smirk playing on his lips.
“I just thought I should stock up, you know? To make sure we don’t run out.”
I squinted as I put bread in the toaster.
A smiling man | Source: Midjourney
“And you agree with that?”
“You made your point, Jul,” he said. “Some things are non-negotiable. Like food. For our kids. And honestly? I like eggs too.”
“Look at you, Jordan, you’re learning and growing.”
My husband laughed loudly.
A smiling woman | Source: Midjourney
What would you have done?
Read also: My husband bought dinner for himself, leaving our three children and me hungry – The lesson I taught him was hard
This work is inspired by real events and people, but has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the story. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or to actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
The author and publisher make no claims regarding the accuracy of events or character portrayals and are not responsible for any misinterpretations. This story is provided “as is,” and all opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the opinions of the author or publisher.
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