Barbra worked hard to support her husband, who became disabled after a work accident. But one day, she saw him walking on two legs and playing golf with a friend. When she confronted him, he revealed a shocking truth about his disability.
Barbra breathed a sigh of relief as she sat down on the bus. After spending time at her friend’s house near the beach in Destin, Florida, she was going home. It had been a beautiful weekend, but she wanted to get back early this Sunday to relax and spend time with her husband, Christopher. Their house in Tallahassee was only a few hours away, and she had time to sleep on the bus.
But she wasn’t looking forward to her grueling week at work. Barbra had a regular corporate job, an Etsy shop selling custom-knitted pieces, and a part-time job every other day at the coffee shop. She worked incredibly hard because her husband was wheelchair-bound.
Her husband ended up in a wheelchair after a work accident. | Source: Shutterstock
Almost two years ago, Christopher had a serious accident at work when a box fell on his head. Unfortunately, he wasn’t supposed to be in that area at the time, so the company didn’t pay any compensation. It covered the hospital costs and bought a wheelchair, but legally, it didn’t have to pay anything more.
He receives government disability benefits, but it’s not enough to maintain their lifestyle. They were strictly upper-middle class before Christopher’s accident, and Barbra wanted to do everything she could to ensure their lives wouldn’t be as affected afterward. Plus, she had to pay for physical therapy out of pocket, which was difficult.
Barbra doesn’t care about working hard or her husband not doing anything around the house. He was going through a difficult time, even after all this time.
He always cheered himself up when his friend, Bruce, invited him over. Bruce took him to baseball games, and he had a game room at his house.
But Bruce was a businessman and didn’t have much time. Therefore, when he did have some, they would take the entire weekend off. Barbra also took advantage of these weekends and visited her friend in Destin. It didn’t happen often, but it was a nice break. Unfortunately, it was time to get back to reality and get back to work.
She sat on the bus and slept for most of the ride. | Source: Pexels
She slept most of the way to Tallahassee, but woke up just as they entered their neighborhood. She quickly noticed the bus passing Bruce’s house, and her jaw dropped when she saw two men standing in Bruce’s yard. They walked over to a car and grabbed a bag of golf clubs.
Maybe it’s Bruce and another friend ? Barbra tries to think. But then she sees her husband’s staple Hawaiian shirt, which he loved to wear, even though it was so ugly. He was walking with Bruce and laughing. Unexpectedly, he struck a pose and pretended to hit a golf ball into the distance. Then they walked to the back of Bruce’s house, where he had a miniature golf course.
Barbra couldn’t believe it. She had worked so hard for so long when her husband could clearly walk! What’s going on ? Why didn’t he tell me? she wondered. What am I going to do with this ?
Barbra worried until the bus reached its stop, and she got off. She had left her car in a nearby parking lot, so she picked it up and went home.
Her husband is finally home. | Source: Pexels
Once she arrived, she paced around her house. What if something new was happening at Bruce’s house this weekend? What if he wanted to surprise me? Yes, this must be it, she finally decided and calmed down. Her husband would come home later that Sunday and surprise her by walking in.
***
“Hi, honey. How was your trip?” Christopher asked as Bruce wheeled him into the living room.
“Oh, hi, you two. That was fun. What about you guys? What did you do?” Barbra asked the men with a big smile, waiting for them to surprise her.
“We did the same thing as usual. Friday’s game was fun, and then we spent a lot of time playing games,” Bruce said dismissively, bidding them farewell.
She served Christopher a nice dinner of spaghetti and meatballs and sat down at the kitchen table with him. “So, that’s all you did?”
“Yeah,” he said, swallowing his food. “That’s what we always do.”
“Bruce has a golf course at home. You could have played,” Barbra added, trying to subtly broach the subject.
“I’m still not used to playing in a wheelchair, so it’s a no. But we had fun, honey. You always worry about me, and I love you for that,” Christopher replies, drinking some soda and acting like nothing happened.
Barbra tapped her fork on the table. | Source: Pexels
Suddenly, Barbra slammed her fork on the table. “Really? Really? Aren’t you used to playing in a wheelchair?” she shouted.
Christopher looked at her with wide eyes and an innocent face. “What? Honey, it’s hard to play golf in a wheelchair. You can’t control your movement…”
He tries to justify his answer, but Barbra cuts him off. “I SAW YOU! I saw you walking around, grabbing golf clubs from Bruce’s car, and swinging around happily like a kid at Christmas! Christopher! I WANT THE TRUTH RIGHT NOW!”
Christopher’s mouth opened and closed like a fish in an aquarium, but he had nothing to say. Barbra waited for him to deny it, but he only asked, “How?”
“My bus is passing Bruce’s house, and you were just grabbing the poles when it went by. Christopher, are you saying you’ve been lying to me? For how long?” she asks in the sternest tone she can muster without being emotional.
Her husband finally sighed and revealed the truth. “Yes, I lied. It’s been about a year and a half. I just didn’t want to go back to work.”
“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?”
Christopher tried to make excuses. | Source: Pexels
“Please calm down. It’s not a big deal. Your job was how we got by, and I just wanted a break after all these years. I also loved how attentive you were to me. It’s been the best year and a half of my life,” Christopher explained.
“You lied to me for a year and a half,” Barbra repeated. “My job was how we got by… Do you know how hard I worked so we wouldn’t have to downsize our lives? Where do you go when I take you to physical therapy?”
He flinched at her screams. “Please don’t yell at me. I’m lying to the therapist too.”
“How long has Bruce known?
“Since I started walking again,” Christopher revealed.
Barbra took a deep breath and considered her options at that moment. Everyone knows that making decisions in anger isn’t a good idea, so she wanted to think clearly. But there was only one option at the moment.
She got up from the table, grabbed the same bag she’d brought from Destin, and went to her mother’s house. She cried profusely that night and for several days, while Christopher called and texted her constantly. Everyone in her family was shocked by this betrayal and didn’t know how the couple could cope.
She traveled all over the world and was much happier. | Source: Pexels
They couldn’t. Barbra filed for divorce after a month at her mother’s house and never saw Christopher again. She emptied their joint bank accounts, quit all her jobs, and traveled the world for a year to make up for all that wasted effort. It was the best decision of her life.
What can we learn from this story?
- A relationship can’t survive such a big lie . Barbra and Christopher’s marriage couldn’t survive after he lied about something so important.
- A certain lifestyle isn’t worth working yourself to death for . Spouses are supposed to support each other through tough times, but Barbra was working herself to death working so hard for someone who was lying from the start.
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