Relationship Desk, Delhi Magazine ( Real Life story): This Sunday, my friend Rashi visited me. We were classmates back in engineering college, and by chance, after marriage, both of us ended up living in Surat with our husbands. She got married about six months before I did.
She’s a good person, but has this constant urge to prove that her life is always a bit better than others’. We know each other quite well, and also follow each other—and our husbands—on social media. Though honestly, my husband and I hardly post anything online.
While chatting, she casually asked, “It was your birthday, right? Jiju didn’t even post a story for you on Facebook?”
Then she added, “My husband edits such amazing videos. They get loads of likes and comments.”
I just smiled and said, “That’s nice.”
She kept going, “You must’ve cut the cake at midnight, right? Got any surprise gifts?”
I replied, “No, we were asleep by 10.”
She laughed loudly, “You’re so boring, Shinni!”
Then, trying to sound impressive, she said, “My husband never forgets midnight surprises and gifts — I get pampered twice!”
I replied calmly, “That’s good.”
I tried to switch the topic, but she wasn’t ready to let it go.
She poked again, “No birthday story, no cake at 12, no gifts… Don’t you feel bad?”
I said gently, “There’s no such pressure between us. He loves me, he just isn’t too expressive.”
That’s when she smirked, “Oh, so basically he’s unromantic! Poor you!”
She laughed again.
Now I knew I had to respond—but in her own style.
Smiling, I said, “You seem quite happy, and that’s nice.”
She proudly nodded.
Then the chat turned into a little competition — silently, of course.
I asked, “Whose kids are more attached to whom? Yours or your husband’s?”
She sighed, “I have to handle everything. Homework, school projects, shopping, outings — it’s all on me.”
I said, “That sounds like a lot.”
I then asked, “So what kind of help do you get at home?”
She laughed, “Oh, he doesn’t even step into the kitchen. Forget cooking, he doesn’t even know how to make tea!”
I just smiled again.
Out of curiosity, I asked, “What about mornings? Does he help with getting the kids ready?”
She looked a little uncomfortable and replied, “No no, I wake up at 4 AM, make tea, prepare breakfast and lunch, get the kids ready, drop them to the bus stop. Even if he’s unwell, I still have to do everything. And when he returns from work, he just collapses on the sofa.”
Then she asked, “How do you manage?”
I smiled, “We do everything together. Household chores, grocery shopping, taking care of our son — we share everything.”
She looked at me, surprised and quiet.
I continued, “Whether it’s bathing and dressing up our child, teaching him, cooking, cleaning, or running errands — he’s always there with me. And if I ever fall sick, he takes care of everything, no matter how tired he is after work.”
I added, “My son is very close to his father. He plays with him, takes him cycling, sometimes to the park. And every night, my husband tells him bedtime stories before they sleep.”
She didn’t say anything.
I looked at her and said warmly, “He may not show off his love online, but I feel it in his care, his time, and his presence.
And yes, you’re right — he is an unromantic husband. And I’m truly happy with that.”
She finally realized that I had responded to all her earlier comments — without being rude, but with honesty.
A little while later, she quietly left for home — without another word.
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