The Card She Capped

"Marcus, I've got something to handle tomorrow during our daughter's Children's Day performance. Can you go in my place?"

When Brooke's call came through, I had just finished scrubbing the toilet for the 99th time.

Brooke had always been fiercely competitive, the kind of person who worked herself to the bone without a second thought. When she got pregnant, I could not bear to see her endure everything alone, so I quit my job without hesitation and stayed home to take care of her daily needs.

Even after she gave birth, I supported her decision to return to her career unconditionally. I became the one who stayed behind, holding the household together.

My mother-in-law constantly found fault with me, even calling me a useless man living off a woman. But every time I thought of Brooke coming home exhausted, able to relax just a little because of me, I accepted it all without complaint.

Brooke spoke quickly over the phone, the background noisy, as if she were in a rush.

I froze for a second. The surge of joy was quickly followed by a trace of worry. "Brooke, I can go, of course! But I don't have anything decent to wear… Could you give me a bit more money?"

Even as I said it, a bitterness crept into my chest.

Since quitting my job, I had no income of my own. The only money I had each month was the 1,000-dollar allowance Brooke gave me. I stopped going to gatherings with friends, until even they started mocking me as nothing more than a househusband.

I did not want Brooke to feel burdened, so I never brought it up.

But 1,000 dollars a month barely covered the household's basic expenses. And now it was the end of the month. Just the day before, I had paid our daughter's kindergarten nutrition fee. It was money I had scraped together by selling the only watch I owned.

At this point, I could not even come up with a single extra dollar.

Afraid of upsetting her, I spoke carefully. "I know you believe in raising our daughter modestly, that you don't want her to grow up materialistic. But I really don't have anything presentable to wear… I don't need much. Just 300 dollars. I'll buy the cheapest suit I can find. Is that okay?"

Brooke let out a cold scoff. "A 1,000 a month isn't enough for you? Do you think I'm running a bank? You've got a whole closet of clothes. Why can't you wear those? Marcus Sullivan, who spoiled you into wasting money like some pampered rich kid?”

Her words caught me completely off guard. For a moment, I did not even know how to respond. "Please, Brooke… I'm begging you. I don't want to embarrass our daughter… The clothes in the closet are all stained and misshapen… If nothing else, consider it a loan. You can deduct it from next month's allowance, alright?"

Suddenly, a burst of bright laughter came from the other end of the line.

"Brooke, buy me this pair of underwear! You tore the last one to shreds. It's only 3 thousand. Come on, buy it for me…"

The same Brooke who had just been ice-cold toward me was now beyond gentle.