Hey Skeeves,
I am having a dilemma that I hope you can help me with. I have been married to my husband for what I think have been eight wonderful years. I have never once had a major complaint about anything in our marriage or had any desire to be with another man.
Recently, my husband’s first wife, who we’ll call Cynthia, has separated from her husband and they are preparing to finalize a divorce. She did not have anywhere to stay, so my husband, who had not seen her in years, told her that she could sleep in our guestroom.
Although I was hesitant at first, this has turned out to be a good situation. Cynthia, as it turns out, is a certified marriage counselor. At her and my husband’s urging, we have been having informal counseling sessions every other day in the living room. I had no idea that my husband had so many complaints about our marriage. Cynthia is kind enough to bring up positive experiences from her first marriage to my current husband to show me what I am doing wrong.
And to top it all off, she is only charging us at half the normal rate! She is so sweet!
During our last session, Cynthia professionally recommended that my husband and I take an “extended break” from each other and also recommended one-on-one “passion counseling.”
The three of us agreed that I should stay at a motel for a week so that my husband can clear his thoughts and think about what he wants out of this marriage.
I have agreed to this and here is my problem – is it impolite of me to make a guest in our house care for my husband (cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc.) while I am gone? Should I ask if I can come back one hour a day if I am real quiet so that I can do the housework since they will probably be too busy with therapy to be bothered with it?
Thank you,
The Worst Wife Ever?Dear Yes You Are,
The depths of your selfishness astound me. Who do you expect to do the housework and prepare meals while you are gone – your husband and your houseguest, his ex-wife?
She’s in the midst of a divorce and all you can think about is taking a nice little vacation down at the local motel and just waiting around for the two of them to wipe their emotional sweat off each other’s hard-counseled bodies.
And what’s the deal with you being “hesitant” when your husband wanted to let his ex-wife shack up under your roof?
It’s that sort of hesitation that wrecks marriages. Let’s just hope that his ex-wife can undo the damage.
From what you’ve told me, you probably can’t cook as well as his mother and that, not your selfish ill-mannered ways, is the problem. Sitting down with his ex and his mother and figuring it all out together is the key to a happier marriage.

Author