A couple’s relationship is in tatters after the husband was left feeling emasculated when his wife built a flatpack cabinet on her own while he was at work.
Owen Stephens feels that the dynamic of the relationship has been changed dramatically and is unsure if it can be repaired.
Owen and his wife Emma had ordered a new chest of drawers for their back bedroom. The drawers would arrive in flatpack form and the couple had been given a delivery date of Thursday in the PM.
Owen had to work at the time of delivery, but Emma was able to sign for it having taken half a day’s holiday. Owen believed the understanding was that he would build the chest of drawers when he got home from work.
However, when he returned that evening, he was horrified to find that Emma had completely built the chest of drawers in his absence and placed the cardboard box in the recycling. The box had also been flattened.
He discovered that she had built it without swearing, shouting or sweating and that there were also no bits left over at the end.
He immediately became withdrawn and irritable around his wife.
Emma had believed her husband would be pleased that she had saved him a job, and didn’t realise her actions could be seen as taking over his duties in the house.
She explained: “I just wanted to get on. I had to take the whole afternoon off work because the delivery company wouldn’t specify a time. I had only been back half an hour and the drawers arrived so I had the whole afternoon to get them built.
“Owen got upset when he saw them so I tried to make him feel better. I told him it was no big deal. I had just followed the instructions and it was quite easy really, but if anything, that just made him worse.”
The couple are now considering counselling.
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