Lizzie and Stu had been married for almost 15 years. Overall they'd both describe the marriage as having been a good one. Now, though, Lizzie was feeling hurt and angry.
Lizzie was on the phone with her sister, trying to explain how she was feeling. Alexis immediately started peppering Lizzie with questions, trying to ferret out the reason for Lizzie's unhappiness. "Is it another woman, Liz? Has he started to drink too much? Is he keeping too tight a grip on the purse-strings? After all, you earn as much as he does? Who does he think he is?!"
"Lexie, stop. It's none of those things. He isn't cheating, he doesn't beat me, he isn't cheap or restricting my spending. You know he doesn't drink. He hasn't started holding up 7-11s either. It's not like that."
"Well, what is it then, Lizzie? He sounds like he's still a great guy."
Lizzie sighed. "He is still a great guy, Lexie, at least to everyone else. It's more that he's just not that nice to me anymore. It's nothing huge; it's more an endless series of small unkindnesses and disrespects."
Just then Stu yelled from upstairs. "Lizzie! Do not tell me that you're on the phone again. You know I wanted the car to be all packed before the night was out."
It was his tone as much as his words that set her teeth on edge. This nasty new habit of his of yelling to her, or at her, from across the house felt so disrespectful.
She turned back to the phone in her hand.
"Did you hear that, Lexie? He's just so... rude. He doesn't treat anyone else like this. He's nice to other people, just not to me."
"So why do you think he's acting like this? Is there trouble at work? Is he not feeling well? Is he worried about something?"
Lizzie sighed again.
"I could probably answer 'yes' to all of those questions, Lexie. His back's been bothering him; the company's having a rough year; and we just don't know what's going on with Sam and school. I get that life isn't all a bowl of cherries for him, or us, right now. I don't need him to be Little Mary Sunshine all the time."
"What is it that you want, Lizzie?"
"Lexie, I just want him to be nice to me." Lizzie sighed again and said, "Lexie, thanks for listening. I'd best go help get the car packed before he bites my head off."
Lizzie headed upstairs, where she was met at the top of the stairs by Stu, who promptly said, "It's about time!"
Lizzie found herself grinding her teeth rather than striking back at Stu.
Just then Stu's cell rang and he turned to answer the call.
He was talking to their neighbor, Justin, who was apparently asking to borrow Stu's leaf blower.
"No problem, Justin. Come on over; I'll meet you at the garage. No, now is fine; I have time. No, no, just bring it back whenever you're done with it. No problem at all."
Lizzie couldn't help but think that she'd wandered into a remake of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
When Dr. Jekyll hung up the phone, it was Mr. Hyde who spoke to her. "Move it along, Liz. Did you really need to be talking to your sister when I wanted you to help with the packing?"
Lizzie stared at Stu for a moment in disbelief. "Excuse me. You were just as warm and friendly as could be to Justin, with whom you are at most a casual friend, making it clear that you have plenty of time for him. As soon as you speak to me, your wife, you seem to lose any shred of respect or kindness."
"Liz, you know perfectly well that we're running out of daylight for getting the car packed."
"Stu, this is not about getting the car packed. This is about why you can be the nice Stu I married when you're interacting with anyone else, but you just can't seem to be nice to me."
"I don't know what you're talking about, Liz."
"Look, Stu, you're a good man. I'm just asking for you to treat me with as much consideration and kindness as you would anyone else. Be as considerate of my needs and wishes as you are of Justin's. Is that so much to ask?"
Stu, who really was a good man and who loved Lizzie, could feel the impulse to try to defend himself. But he was also an honest man who recognized that he'd gotten careless and insensitive in his treatment of the person whom he loved most in the world.
He fought down the defensive words and said simply, "I'm sorry, Lizzie."
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