We are all creatures of habit. Every morning I drop my wife off at work, and then head to my office to engage in the daily battle against obnoxious emails and insurmountable targets. The day usually ends with a conversation with the wife on notable incidents during work. Mostly negative rants, if I might add. Rinse and repeat.
“We should switch roles one day, and you’ll know how difficult my work is.”
How many of us get to see our partners and spouses at work? We know the hard work and shit we put with every single day, but do we know exactly how our other halves deal with theirs?
“I know how you feel lah…”
No, we don’t. Not until now. Fortunately (or unfortunately), this recently became a reality that everyone had to deal with. With all things, I always tend to look at the funny side of it and relish this experience; a peep into my wife’s world. Before I go on, I must mention that I have signed an indemnity with MyFatPocket lest anything horrible happens to me.
1. Couch Potato
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We didn’t enter into a discussion to chope our working spaces at home. The sofa and coffee table were immediately hers, and I acquiesced to use the study room (which was in a huge mess). Fearing she might suffer from backaches, I asked her to use the study room instead, but was flat out rejected. On average since the circuit breaker, she has spent more than 14 hours a day on the couch. Only my 2 cats have the honour of sharing it with her. I paid half for the sofa.
2. Transformers – More Than Meets The Eye
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One afternoon, I went to the kitchen to pour myself a cup of water, and I was forced to hear my wife in a conference call. Either she was talking to people who were dense and unable to comprehend her instructions, or she is the devil. Maybe both. Her face was overcast like Justice Bao, and her voice boomed like Gandalf in front of the Balrog. I double dare you to get her attention at this very moment.
When the call ended, she asked me in a sing-song voice full of love, “bAby, wHaT sHaLL wE HaVe fOr DiNnEr??”
This instant transformation sends shivers down my spine. Who did I marry?
3. Full Time IT Service Helpdesk
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We must ensure that our home connectivity remains stable and fast at times like these. The Devil wife was on another call on her laptop, and suddenly she was disconnected from the call due to a connection issue. A string of expletives followed. I told her to call the Internet Service Provider for help. More expletives ringed through the living room.
Gingerly, I attempted to isolate the connection issue, and got things back up after around 15 minutes. Thank goodness I picked up a good skill during my gaming days. I did not even get a good service rating from her after I fixed the problem.
Like a wannabe scientist, I was quite pleased with my observations, and have a better appreciation of my wife and how tough it is for her at work. Still, if you asked me what my wife worked as, the simplest answer I can give is this: She uses MS Excel and talks to other boffins all day long. Her worksheets are one of the most complex I have seen, and her Excel formulas resemble Einstein’s formula for General Theory of Relativity. Looks simple but we hardly understand it. I will not last a single hour, let alone a single day, doing what she does.
I have a profound respect for her. And understand why I earn less than her.
