After six years of marriage, one would think gratitude might develop, but with Todd, that\u2019s never been the case. Every year, I\u2019ve poured my heart into making his birthday special, only for him to disregard it entirely. This year, however, his entitlement reached an all-time high.<\/p>\n
Six years of marriage to Todd have been a mix of charm and frustration. While he can be wonderfully charismatic, his sense of entitlement is something I struggle with.<\/p>\n
Take last Thanksgiving, for example. Todd suggested we host dinner for both of our families. \u201cClaire,\u201d he said proudly, \u201cwe should host Thanksgiving this year.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlright,\u201d I agreed. \u201cHow do you want to divide the responsibilities?\u201d<\/p>\n
He brushed me off. \u201cOh, you\u2019re so good at this kind of thing,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ll handle drinks or something\u2014just make sure it\u2019s impressive, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite knowing what was coming, I agreed. For two weeks, I cooked, cleaned, and planned while Todd focused on fantasy football. On Thanksgiving Day, I prepared the turkey, sides, and two pies. Todd\u2019s contribution? Bringing a cooler of beer into the living room.<\/p>\n
After dinner, when everyone praised the food and decor, Todd claimed credit: \u201cI\u2019m so glad you all enjoyed it. I wanted this year to be really special.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought I misheard him. \u201cOh, really?\u201d I asked. \u201cWhich part\u2014was it the casserole or the centerpiece?\u201d Naturally, he ignored me. That\u2019s Todd in a nutshell\u2014expecting applause without lifting a finger.<\/p>\n
Last year, I put weeks of thought into crafting a personalized photo album for his birthday, filled with photos of our adventures and cherished memories. I was excited to see his reaction. When he unwrapped it, he simply said, \u201cOh. So, where\u2019s the real gift?\u201d<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t just his words that hurt\u2014it was the audacity. I had married a man who once wrote me beautiful poetry, yet he couldn\u2019t appreciate a heartfelt gesture. That moment broke something in me. I realized he wasn\u2019t the man I\u2019d fallen in love with anymore.<\/p>\n
Then came his 35th birthday\u2014the final straw. Over dinner one evening, Todd casually mentioned his expectations. \u201cClaire, I\u2019m hoping for a big, proper birthday dinner this year,\u201d he said. \u201cLet\u2019s invite the family, my friends, everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
I raised an eyebrow. \u201cAre you asking me to plan it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course,\u201d he replied. \u201cYou\u2019re so good at this. Just make it decent, okay? Nothing over the top.\u201d<\/p>\n
The entitlement was glaring. He believed he deserved an extravagant celebration after everything, despite how dismissive he had been in the past. Yet, I agreed\u2014reluctantly. It was his birthday, after all, and I wanted to give him one last chance.<\/p>\n
For two weeks, I poured my heart into organizing Todd\u2019s \u201cdecent\u201d birthday dinner. I planned an elegant menu with spinach-stuffed chicken, rosemary potatoes, a charcuterie board of fancy cheeses, and a three-layer chocolate cake adorned with edible gold flakes. Every evening after work, I came home exhausted but kept going\u2014cleaning, arranging, and borrowing extra chairs and tables from our neighbor Janice to ensure everything was perfect.<\/p>\n
What did Todd do? Absolutely nothing. One night, he came home, kicked off his shoes, and said, \u201cI\u2019m swamped at work, but you\u2019ve got this, love. You\u2019re amazing at these things.\u201d<\/p>\n
By the day of the party, I was running on fumes but determined to make it perfect. The house sparkled, the table was set with matching linens and hand-written name cards, and the food was ready.<\/p>\n
Todd walked into the kitchen around noon, barely glanced at the setup, and said, \u201cLooks good. But hey, don\u2019t worry about finishing all this.\u201d<\/p>\n
I froze. \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m heading to the bar to catch the game with the guys. Just cancel the dinner and let everyone know something came up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCancel? Todd, I\u2019ve spent weeks on this!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s no big deal,\u201d he said dismissively. \u201cJust text everyone. They\u2019ll understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTodd, people are already on their way!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI really don\u2019t want to embarrass myself in front of the guys,\u201d he muttered before grabbing his jacket and leaving.<\/p>\n
I stood there, heartbroken and humiliated. All my effort, time, and money\u2014dismissed like it was nothing. Was this what I was worth to him?<\/p>\n
But then, I made a decision. I wasn\u2019t canceling the dinner. If Todd wanted to act like a spoiled brat, fine. But I was going to show him what real embarrassment looked like.<\/p>\n
I texted all the guests: \u201cChange of plans\u2014meet at the bar on Main Street near our house. Come hungry!\u201d<\/p>\n
I packed up all the food and headed to the bar where Todd and his friends were. When I arrived, the smell of the food caught everyone\u2019s attention. Patrons began whispering and pointing as I set up dish after dish on a nearby table.<\/p>\n
Todd didn\u2019t notice me at first, but his friends did. They started chuckling, nudging him until he turned around. His face turned pale.<\/p>\n
\u201cClaire! What are you doing?\u201d he hissed, rushing over.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, just having dinner with people who will actually appreciate it,\u201d I said loudly, making sure the whole bar could hear.<\/p>\n
As I served the food, people began clapping and cheering. Just then, Todd\u2019s parents and our families arrived, confused but intrigued.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d his mom asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, Todd decided the game was more important than the dinner he asked me to organize, so I brought the party to him,\u201d I explained with a smile.<\/p>\n
His dad shook his head. \u201cUnbelievable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Todd\u2019s friends laughed at his expense while our families dug into the meal. When it was time for cake, I brought out the centerpiece: a three-layer masterpiece with \u201cHAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SELFISH HUSBAND!\u201d written in bold frosting.<\/p>\n
The bar erupted in laughter as I read it aloud. Todd, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to crawl under the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you really have to do this?\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d I replied with a smile.<\/p>\n
After the food was gone, the bartender came up to me and said, \u201cYou\u2019re a legend. Drinks are on the house\u2014just don\u2019t bring him next time!\u201d<\/p>\n
The families left soon after, with Todd\u2019s mom shaking her head in disappointment and my dad giving me a proud nod. On the way home, Todd muttered about feeling \u201chumiliated.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, Todd,\u201d I said firmly. \u201cYou embarrassed yourself. Don\u2019t expect another homemade meal anytime soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t argue.<\/p>\n
In the two weeks since, Todd has been surprisingly polite, clearly walking on eggshells. He hasn\u2019t apologized outright, but his behavior says he knows I won\u2019t tolerate his nonsense anymore.<\/p>\n
Sometimes, a little public humiliation is the only way to teach someone a lesson. Don\u2019t you agree?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
After six years of marriage, one would think gratitude might develop, but with Todd, that\u2019s never been the case. Every year, I\u2019ve poured my heart into making his birthday special, only for him to disregard it entirely. This year, however, his entitlement reached an all-time high. Six years of marriage to Todd have been a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2718,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4093","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-random-stuff"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4093","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4093"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4093\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4094,"href":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4093\/revisions\/4094"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4093"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4093"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4093"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}