My Husband The Saint, My Life The Sacrifice

Synopsis

I was married to Daniel Johnson for sixty years. In all those years, the thing he'd said most often was, "I've been a good man my whole life." Everyone in the neighborhood agreed. They called him kind, dependable, always ready to help. When neighbors argued, he was the first to step in and play peacemaker. When someone was in trouble, he showed up before anyone else. People used to tell me how lucky I was to have married such a good man. Only I knew what that so-called good man was like behind closed doors. If I added a little too much salt to dinner, he'd guilt-trip me for half an hour. When I was too tired to cook, he'd sigh and say, "I work myself to the bone for this family, and you won't make a proper meal. Don't you feel ashamed?" When I tried to set aside 15 thousand dollars for emergencies, he donated it in front of everyone and then pointed at me, saying, "Don't be so selfish." Our daughter told him to stop, but he slammed his hand on the table. "You're as selfish as your mother is." It had been sixty years, and I didn't argue with him anymore, not because I couldn't win, but because I was too tired to care. I thought we would go on living like that. Then a fifty-five-year-old widow moved in next door. From that day on, Daniel began the greatest performance of his life.