A lazy husband who spent all day lying on the couch often blamed his wife for the mess in their home. But one day, as he was once again scolding her, their 14-year-old son decided to step in. That day, a series of changes began to take place in their household.
A Burdened Wife and an Unhelpful Husband
After police officer Zach Owens injured his leg, he was forced to take a medical leave. His wife, Lydia, had to step up as the family’s sole provider. She worked long hours as a nurse, sometimes up to 18 hours a day.
Despite her efforts, Zach never bothered to help. Instead, he constantly complained about his knee pain and spent his days lounging on the couch.
Zach hadn’t always been like this. In the beginning, he helped Lydia with chores and even cooked dinner for her after she got home from work. But lately, he always had an excuse for why he couldn’t help, with his “injury” being the most frequent one.
Lydia was exhausted from her stressful life and irritated by Zach’s lack of effort. But like many women, she kept silent, unwilling to tear her family apart. Until one day, the weight of it all became too much, and she finally snapped.
A Heated Argument
“Lydia! Get over here, now!” Zach yelled from the living room while she was helping their son, Adam, with his school project. That day, Lydia had come home early to assist Adam, prioritizing his project over cleaning the kitchen or making dinner.
Meanwhile, Zach and his friends were busy watching a football game and drinking beer.
“I can’t come right now, Zach. I’m helping Adam! If it’s important, just text me!” she replied.
Zach said nothing, which was unusual. He usually wouldn’t stop yelling at her. Lydia assumed it wasn’t urgent and decided to ask him about it later. But soon after, Zach stormed into Adam’s room, shouting furiously.
“You expect me to text you? Do you think I’m your servant? Have you seen the mess in the kitchen? Who’s going to clean it up?”
“Excuse me?” Lydia shot back. “Can’t you see I’m busy? And by the way, you and your friends made that mess! Own up to it and stop yelling at me. Besides, I assume your friends have already left, Zach. Why don’t you help out for once? Can’t you see I’m trying to help Adam with his school competition?”
Zach’s eyes darkened. “Wow! Where did you find the nerve to talk back to me like that, Lydia? Is someone at work filling your head with nonsense about me? Are you telling them I’m a horrible husband?”
“STOP IT, ZACH!” Lydia shouted, jumping to her feet. “Don’t forget, our son is watching! Tell me, what is your problem? I work 18 hours a day, come home, and still do everything around here. And it’s never enough for you! If I make meat pie, you want pasta. If I make pasta, you demand meat pie! I am helping our son, Zach! He has a school competition. At least keep quiet for his sake! You’re making this home toxic for all of us!”
Zach scoffed. “Stop acting like I’m the bad guy here, Lydia. You never do anything right! You only do things halfway, and that’s why—”
Before he could finish, Adam abruptly got up and stormed out of the room. Zach continued mocking Lydia, ridiculing her as a “terrible wife.”
Suddenly, Adam returned and gestured for both of them to follow him to the living room. Confused, Lydia and Zach sat down as he signaled them to turn on the TV.
A slideshow of photos and videos appeared on the screen with the title: “My Dream: To Be Like My Mother. The Superhero of My Life and My Role Model.”
It turned out that Adam had to give a presentation about his role model for an upcoming contest, and he had chosen Lydia as his subject.
The slideshow showed random clips of Lydia working tirelessly—coming home late from work, heading straight to the kitchen, doing chores, and taking care of the family.
Then, a segment appeared where Adam adjusted the camera and interviewed Lydia in sign language.
“Why do you work so much, Mom?” his first question read. “Why don’t you ask Dad or me to help?”
Lydia smiled at Adam and signed her response, which appeared as subtitles:
“It’s never hard to do extra work for the people you love. You’re busy with school, Adam, so that’s okay. And Dad is injured, so it’s alright if he doesn’t want to help.”
The next set of questions focused on her struggles—juggling work, managing the house, and caring for a “difficult child” like him, since Adam was mute.
Lydia immediately corrected him, signing, “You’re not a difficult child, sweetheart. You’re just differently-abled, and I love you like any mother loves her child.”
Zach sat in stunned silence, while Lydia wiped away tears.
At the end of the slideshow, pictures of Lydia and Adam filled the screen, followed by the words: “Thank you for being such an amazing mom so that I can be happy. I love you.”
That’s when Zach realized something. He wasn’t in the presentation at all. No pictures of him with Adam. No praise. Nothing.
Overcome with guilt, Zach stood up and left the room. He wanted to apologize to Lydia, but he was too ashamed.
A few days later, Zach scheduled a salon appointment for Lydia and asked her to take the day off.
Lydia chuckled. “That’s sweet, Zach, but I’m busy. I don’t have time for that.”
But Zach insisted, and she finally agreed.
That evening, she came home later than expected, fearing that Zach would be furious. But when she walked in, the house was dimly lit, candles lined the floor leading to the living room, and rose petals were scattered along the path.
As soon as she turned on the lights, a loud chorus erupted: “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LYDIA!!!”
Lydia gasped. Her friends, parents, and Zach were all there, gathered around a cake. She had been so busy that she had completely forgotten her own birthday! That’s when she realized Zach had sent her to the salon to buy time for the surprise.
Zach approached her with a bouquet of her favorite flowers and got down on one knee.
“To my beautiful wife, I hope you loved the surprise. Happy birthday, my love.” He then pulled out a small box containing a stunning diamond pendant.
Lydia smiled and nodded as he gently placed the pendant around her neck. She hadn’t felt this happy in a long time.
That night, after everyone left, Zach helped clean the living room and wash the dishes. Holding Lydia’s hand, he promised, “I will never be harsh with you again. I’m so sorry for how I’ve treated you all this time. Also, you won’t have to work so much anymore—I spoke to my boss, and I can return to work tomorrow.”
Tears welled in Lydia’s eyes as she hugged him. “Thank you, Zach. I’m so glad you realized your mistake and made things right. This is the best birthday gift I could have ever received. I love you.”
“I love you too, sweetheart.”
As they were about to leave the kitchen, they noticed Adam standing there.
Lydia smiled. “What’s wrong, honey? Do you need something?”
Adam shook his head and signed a simple but powerful message to Zach:
“I’m proud of you, Dad.”
