The Angry Househusband

A Househusband is a man that stays at home while his partner goes off to work. The job includes all the things the traditional stay-at-home wives usually do plus general household repairs, vehicle maintenance, and lawn care. The wife of a househusband may occasionally help with the cooking and/or childcare, but mostly the husband takes care of those things.

I am not sure I would have survived the job if it had started while my three kids were little. We were a family of modest means, so the kids all went to daycare while my wife and I tried to earn enough money to support a middle-class lifestyle.

Once my kids made it to high school, my wife enrolled in an MBA program because her employer reimbursed the tuition. That meant I had to do more to keep the household afloat while she studied and attended classes online and at school. I didn't mind the extra work as I knew the MBA would allow her to advance and command a higher salary.

Amy's MBA program was aimed at executives who worked full-time so it took almost three years to complete. By then the kids were heading off to college. Thankfully, all three were very good students and qualified for several scholarships. Still, three kids in college is a massive financial burden. I worked for a small family-owned manufacturing company as the manager of the accounting department. I was paid a fair wage, but nothing like the big corporate CPAs.

Amy's hard work finally paid off and she was promoted to Executive Vise President of Product Development for the multi-national insurance company that had employed her for over fifteen years. The new job meant she got a substantial pay raise, car allowance, expense account, and a share of the year-end bonuses with all the other corporate officers.

Her new windfall could not have come at a better time. The economy took a sharp downturn and my employer was especially hard hit. They struggled for almost a year and then sold the business to our major competitor. The new owners wasted no time in gutting our facilities and closing the plant.

The new owners offered me a job at their plant, but it was 300 miles away. The pay would have been a bit less than I had been making, so about a third of what Amy was making, before bonuses. I had no choice but to decline the job, and just like that, I was unemployed. I put out feelers for a new job and quickly learned no one in our area was going to be hiring until the economy improved.

"John, it's not the end of the world. I'm doing pretty well, we have enough money in the college funds to get the kids through school, so don't worry so much."

"I know, but I've worked my entire life, I can't just sit around."

"Oh, don't worry, I have an extended "Honey Do" list that you've never had time for, so there will be no sitting around," she said with a smile. And that's how it started. I became a househusband at age 48. Amy's list was indeed extensive and it took me the better part of a year to do all of the home improvement projects she requested. Once I completed the house, she started with the very labor-intensive landscaping projects.

While I worked to improve our home, Amy continued her climb up the corporate ladder. She was promoted to Senior EVP and got a healthy bump in pay. She loved her work and was well-respected by the other big-wigs. She was often invited to parties and social gatherings where she rubbed elbows with the city's movers and shakers. Of course, I was required to accompany her to many of those events.

I'm not sure when it first started happening, but ever so slowly I became aware of a change in the way Amy treated me at those events. At first, she insisted I be locked to her side as she flitted about having brief, meaningless conversations with all the important folks. Gradually, she began asking me to wait at our table, or sit at the bar while she "worked" the room. Soon I was spending most of the evenings entertaining the wives of the bosses, or just sitting alone.

Things finally got to be too much for me when she took me on a weekend retreat to a lovely resort. The first evening, she parked me with the wives and was gone for almost 3 hours. The next day she informed me she had several meetings with the other top execs and board members. She said the wives had planned a spa day.

"Okay, well, what am I supposed to do all day? I can't hang out with the women while they take mud baths and shit!"

"I don't know, John, go hiking or something. I have important matters to attend to and don't have time to keep you entertained!"

I held my tongue, I knew she was a bit stressed, but I vowed to myself this would be the last time she dragged me to one of these things. "Fine, don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

I ended up hanging out at the pool and the little tiki bar next to it. I had just finished my second gin & tonic when I saw several folks move out onto the elevated terrace of one of the large meeting rooms and take seats under umbrellas. I recognized Amy as she was escorted by a tall distinguished-looking gentleman. He had a hand on the small of her back and gestured to one of the tables near the edge of the terrace.

I watched them sit and pull their chairs closer together. He threw an arm around her shoulders, as she snuggled into him. None of the others approached them and I saw her cautiously kiss his cheek a few times. He smiled at her and bent to whisper into her ear. She giggled and slapped his arm while he laughed. This went on for 30 minutes then they stood and went back inside with everyone else.

I replayed what I'd seen in my head. They were certainly far cozier than two married folks should be with someone who is not their spouse. I noticed they were only slightly concerned about their coworkers seeing their overly friendly behavior, which made me wonder what might be occurring behind closed office doors.

While I had met all of her coworkers, I was not familiar with the guy she was with. I assumed he was a board member but would have to check that out. I headed back to our suite to get out my laptop and do some digging.

It took only seconds to find a photo of Stephen Swanson, Chairman of the Board for Mega Insurance Corp. Stephen was married to Margo Davis Swanson, daughter of William Davis, former COB and Founder of Mega Ins. Corp. Now that was interesting. If there is anything going on, Amy is playing with fire. Old Stevie had married the boss's daughter and her daddy was still the majority shareholder of the corporation.

That evening, Amy sat next to me at dinner. She chatted with a few other EVPs and seemed to be enjoying herself. I spoke with Diane, a trophy wife seated near me. I was surprised to find her engaging and possessing a wicked sense of humor. I very much enjoyed conversing with her and taking quick peeks at the impressive amount of cleavage she displayed.

After clearing the tables, the lights dimmed and music started. Amy took a moment to lean into my ear and explain that she would be dancing with a few of her coworkers. Those were the first words she had spoken to me in well over an hour. She didn't wait for my reply as she rose and moved off to the dance floor with some guy.

Diane spoke up, "Better get used to it, we spouses usually get ignored at these things."

"I can't believe your husband would leave you unattended amongst all these Alfa Males."

She laughed, "I'm sure he is off dancing with the wife of one of the board members trying to ingratiate himself as much as possible. He just assumes some minor bigwigs will ask me to dance and I will dutifully sing his praises to each of them."

"Oh, well, perhaps before you commence your assignment, you might grant me the honor of a dance? That is if you're not too embarrassed to be seen with an EVP's spouse."

She chuckled, "You are about twenty years younger than my usual dance partners so I expect you to NOT drool into my cleavage."

"I make no promises, your cleavage is certainly drool-worthy, but I'll do my best to control myself."

Diane pressed her magnificent breasts into my chest as we danced. I managed not to drool on her. Our dance was cut short when her hubby cut in and then whisked her away only to pass her off to his boss. I guess he wanted her to put her assets where he thought they might benefit him.

I sat at the table and watched Amy dance with several board members, before settling in exclusively with Stephen Swanson. After their 4th or 5th dance, the orchestra took a break and she and Swanson walked to his table.

I thought about leaving but decided to watch for a bit longer. At one point Amy glanced my way and saw me sitting alone. A few moments later she came up to the table and sat across from me.

"John, this must be very boring for you. Why don't you just go back to the room and I'll be along later after I put in an appropriate appearance?"

"Ah, well, the orchestra is great and I'd hate to end the evening without at least one dance with my lovely wife ... if you could squeeze me in."

"John, this is business, important business, now please just do as I've asked and we'll talk about this later." She then stood and walked away.

I stared after her, I had been dismissed! The bitch had actually told me to "go to your room!" Like I was a disobedient child! I was furious, but there was no reason for me to just sit there and be ignored. I waited a bit and then got up and left.

I didn't want to go sulk in my room, so I went to the little bar off the lobby of the resort. It was quiet and I needed to reassess my situation. It was clear to me that Amy was involved, or would soon be involved with Swanson. I was not going to put up with that, but, so far I had no proof of any misdeeds by Amy.

I nursed my drink for a while and decided to call it a night. I walked back past the event room and peeked in. Amy was on the dance floor plastered against Swanson. He had a hand low on her back, but not quite on her ass. I asked one of the staff how late the orchestra played and he said they stopped at 11:00 and the room closed at midnight.

I must have dozed a bit as I sat up in bed watching TV. The lights were out, but I could clearly see the clock read 1:20 when Amy pushed open our door. She was carrying her shoes and sweater. She must have expected me to be asleep because she gasped when I turned on the side light.

Her hair was mussed and her lipstick was gone. I looked her up and down and she blushed a deep red. "Er, uh, I thought you'd be sleeping it off."

"I only had three drinks all night. I am pissed off, not drunk. You want to explain to me where you've been?"

"You know where I was ... dancing. I told you I needed to dance with my coworkers and put in an appearance. It's all part of the game, John," she said as if speaking to a slow-learning child.

"Try again, the orchestra quit at 11:00, so what were you doing for the last two and a half hours?"

"Talking, with Swanson. Margo is in Europe with her mother, so he is here alone. We went back to his room and talked about his plans for the company and how he thought I might fit into those plans."

"So you just spent two hours "talking" (I made air quotes) in his room and left me to fend for myself. Then you slink in here, hair mussed, lipstick gone, and carrying your heels. Must have been some seriously exhausting conversation."

"Think what you wish, I need a shower and some sleep. We have another half-day of meetings tomorrow. ... Oh, I told Stephen I'd go to dinner with him tomorrow evening."

"We are supposed to check out in the morning and your meeting ends at noon. What the hell are we going to do until dinner?"

She dropped her shoes and put her hands on her hips. "YOU are going home, I'm going with Stephen back to his lake house for dinner."

"So, you're leaving at noon to go to his lake house for the day? When do you expect to be home?"

"I don't know, if it gets to be too late, I'll just come back Monday morning."

"The fuck you will! You're not spending all day and all night fucking that asshole and then coming back to my house!"

"First off, I never said anything about fucking him and secondly it's MY fucking house, NOT yours! It belongs to me."

I just gaped at her. (When I completed all the work on the house, Amy refused to use her yearly bonus to pay off the construction loan. She insisted we refinance the house. Because I was unemployed, I was not put on the mortgage and Amy insisted I not be on the deed if I was not on the mortgage. It had pissed me off, but we'd planned to move shortly after I'd finished all the improvements. I just assumed I'd be back at work by then, and would be on the deed of the new house, so I let it slide.)

She stood there with her hands on her hips and a smirk on her face. I got out of bed and started getting dressed. I grabbed my suitcase and slammed it down on the bed. I jerked open the drawers and started stuffing my clothes into the suitcase.

"So now what? Are you going to run off? Where are you going to go? You've got no home, no job, and no money, so where the fuck do you think you're going?"

"Screw you, Amy, I'll sleep in my car before I let you get away with this shit. I will not be your cuckold! I will divorce your cheating ass!"

"You silly, silly, man, you've got nothing. I own your ass! I make all the money. Without me, you'd be out on the street! Now stop being a big baby. I need to do this thing with Stephen tomorrow and he'll back me for COO. That will double my salary and triple my year-end bonus. I'll be able to buy us a really nice house in an exclusive neighborhood."

"I don't want another house! I want a faithful wife who cares about me, about us and our marriage. Please, Amy, don't give in to him, you don't have to do this. You can get the job on your own without fucking him!"

Amy shook her head and looked down at the rug and mumbled, "It's too late."

Then I knew, she'd already fucked him. I was already a cuckold. Her plan for tomorrow was just more of the same. I looked at her with disgust. "You fucked him. Your pussy is full of his spunk right now. Oh my god, you've killed us!"

"Don't be stupid, John. We can have it all. So I fucked him, it's no big deal. A quick shower and I'm good as new. It all be over by Monday morning and we'll be set for life. It's just part of the game, in a few days you'll forget all about it - I know I will."

I stuffed the last of my clothes into the suitcase and slammed it shut. I grabbed my jacket and stormed out. I jumped into my car and drove off. I ignored my phone as it beeped and chirped. I know I should have been heartbroken, but mostly I was just numb.

As I drove, the traffic thinned out. I set the cruise control and relaxed back into my seat. I thought back over the last six months and I realized Amy had started to change shortly after her first promotion. She'd become consumed by ambition and her desire to be recognized as an achiever. She now placed power and wealth ahead of everything. She no longer treasured, love, devotion, family, and fidelity. Now, it was all about her, about what she could achieve, the power she had, and the money she made.

The realization that she had changed and was no longer the sweet, loving, caring, woman I had married, filled me with sorrow. I wiped a few tears away as I mourned the loss of the woman I had loved for twenty years.

I woke Monday morning filled with dread. I called the lawyer that worked with me at my old job. He gave me the name of a "Family Law" attorney and I called her office and told them I was looking for a divorce.

"Mr. Dixon, Ms. Hawk usually only represents women who are at a big disadvantage in their divorce. Mostly they are housewives with adulterous husbands. I'm not sure why your friend would have given you her name."

"I am a househusband, my wife is a high-powered executive and adulteress."

There was a moment of silence, then, "Oh my! This will be a first for her! Can you be here by 11:30?"

I walked into Sally Hawk's office at 11:20. Her receptionist was all smiles when she greeted me. I waited about 20 minutes before an attractive, small, dark-haired lady stepped into the reception area.

"Mr. Dixon, I'm Sally Hawk, please step into my office."

I told her my story and she made notes as I spoke. "So, you have been a homemaker for about two years?"

"Three, I lost my job when my employer sold the company and our facility was closed. My wife had just gotten a big promotion and I couldn't find work in this area. She convinced me to stay home and make improvements to our house. She planned to sell our place, once I'd finished all the remodeling, and buy a bigger, nicer house."

"Wait, so it was HER idea that you become a househusband?"

"Yes, she loved that I did all the cooking, cleaning, laundry, and home improvements, while she was free to pursue her career."

"Excellent, now, when did you first begin to suspect there was a problem in your marriage?"

"Truthfully, I only recently began to suspect she was cheating, but looking back, I think it may have started almost a year ago. She admitted her infidelity this past weekend, which is why I'm here today."

"Mr. Dixon, I am sorry this is happening to you, but I promise you will get through it and I will see to it that you are treated fairly in the divorce. ... Now, you said your wife admitted she cheated, do you have any proof of that? Did you record her confession?"

"No, I didn't record it. From what I observed, I'm guessing most of her coworkers know what she's doing."

"Okay, while this is a no-fault state, I'd like some evidence of her adultery to use as leverage in the settlement agreement. Would you be opposed to having my investigator do some snooping around? I use Masters Investigations, Jack Masters is an old friend of mine and his people are very reliable."

"Sure, I guess I'd better get some money out of the bank before she freezes me out."

"I assume you have a joint account?"

"Yes, a small household checking account at Chase that I use. Most of our money is in a managed portfolio that is jointly held. She has several accounts in her name only."

"Okay, when we're done, get to Chase and withdraw all but one dollar. Go somewhere else and deposit the money, but don't tell me where. I will get a freeze ordered for the investment account and a demand for disclosure of all her assets."

I was just leaving the bank when I got a call from Jack Masters, "Mr. Dixon, Sally Hawk asked me to call you. Do you have a moment to talk privately?"

I got into my car and locked the door. "Yes, I'm in my car. I'm parked outside of the bank."

"Sally gave me most of the details, my people will start gathering information this afternoon. What are your plans? Are you planning to stay in the house?"

"I can't afford to move out unless I cash in some of our investment funds."

"Okay, you can't force her to leave, so I suggest you move into another bedroom and install a sturdy lock. I can have someone do that for you if you wish. Also, I want to install some surveillance equipment in your house as soon as possible."

"I'm on my way home now. I will stop and pick up a lock set and will be home in 40 minutes."

I installed the lock while the Master's crew installed several tiny cameras in the house. I moved all my clothes into the room farthest from my old room. I was really happy I had installed a small ensuite in that room when I remodeled the upstairs.

Early that evening my phone vibrated to alert me that there was motion in my driveway. The new camera gave me a clear view of Amy getting out of a limo, but I couldn't tell if there was anyone else in the car. The driver brought her bags in and then left.

I was in my new room, watching the split screens on my laptop as Amy moved through the house, calling my name. She walked into the master bedroom and looked around. When she opened my empty closet she exclaimed, "SHIT!" She peeked into the bathroom and then left her bedroom. A few moments later, she tried my door handle.