Clueless

When Vương was born last year, I took five weeks paternity leave. In addition to changing his diapers and helping out my wife after her C-section, I did some work around the house like constantly doing the laundry and fixing up things that I could not get to when I was working. When I told her that I was able to accomplish those things when I was at home, I was not suggesting that she was not doing anything else at a work-from-home mother. I understand her workloads and I was not expecting her to do the housework. Somehow sharing what I did implying something else about her. I come from the south (of Vietnam); therefore, I do not beat around the bush. I tell her exactly how I feel and I do not have to make any indirect attack. She should know that by now. I did not think anything negative about her. I complained about clutters, but I was not blaming her. I contributed and am responsible for the messiness. l have tremendous respect for what she has done for me and the kids. I did not expect her to taking care of everything.

When we took a week vacation after New Year to relax at Myrtle Beach, I thought we had a wonderful family time together. We stayed at a waterfront resort. It was nice to wake up in the morning to see the sun rise and to breathe in fresh air. We ate breakfast, spent time together with the kids, strolled along the beach, played in the indoor pools, and enjoyed reading in the hot tubs. My wife cooked some meals I did the dishes and laundry. She took care of Vương and I took care of the three kids. We played our parenting parts. It was like a stayed vacation, but far from home. I am a boring-ass motherfucker who enjoys being around his wife and sons. If we can spend time with the ones you love, why do we need to go anywhere? Sure, we could have done that at home, but we don’t get to see the beach, we don’t get to get out of the house, and we don’t get to be lazy because there is always shit to do at home. I thought it was a fantastic vacation until she told me that her role was to serve me. It stabbed me like a knife. I could understand if we served our kids, but I did not understand I was being served. If cooking meant to serve then I was happy just to order out every meal for a week. I did not know that I was being served and I did not want to be served. I believe in women’s rights and equality, and yet here I am treating my own wife like a servant. Her words hurt me tremendously. What did I do that make her feel that way? How do I change that? I feel uncomfortable and we should not take anymore family vacation like that. Let’s just do the all-inclusive package so no cooking and no serving. I am a fat motherfucker who no longer gives a shit about food. I can eat anything that is cooked. So I am not the picky one.

Last Sunday, my sister-in-law brought over some Korean BBQ. We cooked together and I had a few glasses of wine. Somehow the topic of the wall and immigration came up and we got into a heated debate. Somehow my wife got mad at me for calling Vietnamese Americans who voted for Trump stupid. I had to explain that I was not calling them stupid. I just said that they were misinformed and voted for a “fucking moron.” That does not imply that they are the fucking morons. If they want to listen to Vietnamese right-wing media and voted for, that’s thier choice. I just hope that they realize that they hurt their own community when they thought that Trump would fight for them but instead he wanted to deport our own people. As I was doing the dishes after dinner, I realized I was a fucking moron myself. Why did I jeopardize our relationship over this shit? Although she was a good sport, I made sure we were still cool and that she won’t divorce me over the fucking wall. I asked her to do me a favor. The next time I have some wine and started to talk politics, just tell me to shut the fuck up.

We have been married for over a decade; therefore, I can tell when something is up. To find something’s wrong, all I have to say is “I love you.” Her reply would be “No, you don’t.” Then she would tell me all the shit I have done wrong months ago. (I am spilling out my secret here, but it works every time.) We have our differences, but I do not have any regrets about our marriage. I am sure she has a few about me, but I hope they are not enough to leave my sorry ass. To me, she is still amazing. Yes, I said it again and I still mean it. I am blessed and thankful to have my wife and kids in my life everyday.