Rhonda’s life took an unexpected turn when she discovered she was pregnant. Her father, David Harris, was outraged upon learning the news. Coming from a wealthy family, Rhonda had been provided with everything by her father, who owned a large textile company. However, he was a controlling man who couldn’t accept the idea of his daughter raising a child with Peter, her boyfriend, who came from a lower-class background.Despite her father’s orders to terminate the pregnancy, 16-year-old Rhonda refused. Faced with her father’s ultimatum to either abort the baby or leave the house, Rhonda chose to leave. She packed her belongings and sought refuge with Peter, only to face another crushing blow—
Peter refused to take responsibility for the child and ended their relationship. Devastated and homeless, Rhonda wandered the streets, her life in shambles. As fate would have it, Rhonda went into labor on the streets, and a kind woman named Angela Bamford came to her aid, rushing her to the hospital. Rhonda gave birth to a baby boy, but her situation remained dire. Angela, who had lost her own daughter under similar circumstances, sympathized with Rhonda and offered to help her. Angela booked Rhonda a business class ticket to New York, hoping she could start anew there. During the flight, Rhonda was consumed by doubts and fears about her ability to care for her newborn. Overwhelmed by anxiety, she made the heartbreaking decision to leave her baby on the plane, hoping that someone would find him and give him a better life. She left a note with the baby, naming him Matthew Harris, and walked away, leaving her child behind.Years passed, and Rhonda struggled to rebuild her life. After nearly a decade of hardship, she finally secured a stable job and a place to live. However, the guilt of abandoning her son haunted her daily. Determined to find Matthew and make amends, Rhonda sought help from the police. To her relief, she discovered that her son had been adopted by Lincy, the flight attendant who had found him, and her husband. Rhonda reached out to Matthew’s adoptive mother and shared her story, hoping for a chance to meet her son. When Rhonda finally met Matthew, now 13 years old, he was furious and rejected her. He couldn’t understand how his biological mother could have abandoned him. Despite Rhonda’s attempts to explain, Matthew couldn’t bring himself to accept her as his mother. With time, however, Matthew softened. Though he initially refused to call Rhonda “mom,” he agreed to let her visit him on weekends. Over the next ten years, their relationship gradually improved. Matthew, now 23 and working as a data scientist in New York, forgave Rhonda and accepted her as his mother, understanding that her actions were driven by desperation.Rhonda’s life has continued to change. She recently started dating a man named Andrew and is considering marriage, but she wants to discuss it with Matthew first. She also reconnected with Angela Bamford, who was pleased to see that Rhonda’s life had finally come together. Through perseverance and the support of those around her, Rhonda was able to rebuild her life and mend her relationship with the son she had once thought she’d lost forever.
My Husband Tried to ‘Fix’ Me with a New Schedule—My Epic Response Left Him Speechless
I was shocked when my husband, Jake, handed me a schedule to help me “become a better wife.” But instead of losing my temper, I decided to play along. Little did Jake know, I was about to teach him a lesson that would make him rethink his new idea of marriage.
I’ve always been the calm and reasonable one in our relationship. Jake, on the other hand, can easily get caught up in new trends or ideas, whether it’s a hobby or a YouTube video that claims to change his life in just a few easy steps.
Jake and I were fine until he met Steve. Steve was the type of guy who thought being loud made him right. He’d talk over anyone who tried to correct him. He was also always single (no surprise there), but that didn’t stop him from giving relationship advice to all his married friends, including Jake. Jake, who should’ve known better, was impressed by Steve’s confidence.
I didn’t worry about it much at first, but then Jake started saying things like, “Steve says marriages work best when the wife handles the household,” or “Steve thinks women should always look good for their husbands, no matter how long they’ve been married.” I’d roll my eyes and make sarcastic comments, but it was bothering me. Jake was changing. He’d raise an eyebrow if I ordered takeout instead of cooking, and he’d sigh if I let the laundry pile up—forgetting that I also had a full-time job.
Then one night, it happened. Jake came home with The List.
He sat me down, unfolded a piece of paper, and slid it across the table. “I’ve been thinking,” he began, sounding condescending in a way I’d never heard before. “You’re a great wife, Lisa, but there’s room for improvement.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Oh really?”
He nodded, not realizing he was walking into dangerous territory. “Yeah, Steve helped me realize that our marriage could be even better if you, you know, stepped up a bit.”
I looked at the paper in front of me. It was a schedule, titled “Lisa’s Weekly Routine for Becoming a Better Wife.” Jake had actually written out a plan for me based on what Steve—a single guy with no relationship experience—thought I should do to “improve” as a wife.
I was supposed to wake up at 5 a.m. every day to make Jake a gourmet breakfast, then go to the gym to “stay in shape.” After that? Cleaning, laundry, ironing—all before heading to work. Every evening, I was to cook dinner from scratch and make snacks for Jake and his friends when they came over. It was sexist and insulting on so many levels, I didn’t know where to start. I just stared at Jake, wondering if he had lost his mind.
“This will be great for you, and us,” he continued, unaware.
“Steve says it’s important to have structure, and I think you could benefit from—”
“Benefit from what?” I interrupted, keeping my voice calm. Jake blinked, surprised, but quickly recovered.
“Well, from having some guidance and a schedule.”
I wanted to throw the paper in his face, but instead, I surprised myself—I smiled.
“You’re right, Jake,” I said sweetly. “I’m lucky you made me this schedule. I’ll start tomorrow.”
He looked relieved, and I almost felt sorry for him as I stuck the list on the fridge. Almost. He had no idea what was coming.
The next day, I looked at the ridiculous schedule and smiled. If Jake thought he could hand me a list of “improvements,” he was about to learn a lesson. I opened my laptop and started a new document titled, “Jake’s Plan for Becoming the Best Husband Ever.” If he wanted perfection from me, there was a cost.
I started by listing all the things he’d suggested for me, beginning with the gym. “$1,200 for a personal trainer,” I typed, barely holding back a laugh.
Next was the food. If Jake wanted gourmet meals, that wasn’t happening with our current grocery budget. Organic, non-GMO, free-range everything? That wasn’t cheap. “$700 per month for groceries,” I wrote. And if he wanted fancy meals, he’d need cooking lessons too—those were expensive.
I leaned back, laughing as I imagined his face when he saw this. But I wasn’t done. The best part was yet to come.
There was no way I could manage all these demands and keep my job. If Jake wanted me to follow his absurd schedule full-time, he’d have to cover my lost income. I calculated my salary and added it to the list. “$75,000 per year to replace Lisa’s salary since she will now be your full-time maid, chef, and personal assistant.”
By now, I was laughing so hard my stomach hurt.
And just for fun, I added a note about expanding the house. If Jake was going to have friends over all the time, they’d need a separate space. “$50,000 to build a man cave so Jake and his friends don’t disrupt Lisa’s new routine.”
I printed out the list, set it on the kitchen counter, and waited for Jake to come home. When he arrived, he was in a good mood.
“Hey, babe,” he called, spotting the paper. “What’s this?”
Keeping a straight face, I said, “Oh, just a little list to help you become the best husband ever.”
He chuckled, thinking I was playing along, but as he read the list, his smile faded. “$1,200 for a trainer? $700 a month for groceries? What the hell, Lisa?”
I crossed my arms. “Well, you want me to follow your plan, right? I figured we should budget for it.”
His face turned pale as he flipped through the pages. “$75,000 a year? You’re quitting your job?”
“How else can I follow your plan?” I asked. “I can’t work and be the perfect wife, right?”
Jake looked stunned. The numbers and the absurdity of his demands hit him all at once. His smugness disappeared, replaced by the realization that he had messed up.
“I didn’t mean for it to be like this,” he stammered. “I just thought—”
“You thought you could ‘fix’ me like a project?” I said, my voice calm but firm. “Jake, marriage is about respect. And if you ever try to ‘fix’ me like this again, it’ll cost you a lot more than what’s on that paper.”
There was a long silence. Jake sighed and looked at me, defeated.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t realize how ridiculous it was. Steve made it sound reasonable, but now I see… it’s toxic. I’ve been such a fool.”
I nodded. “Yes, you have. And honestly, Steve has no idea what he’s talking about. Why would you listen to him?”
Jake’s face softened as the truth hit him. “You’re right. He has no clue.”
We tore up both lists, and for the first time in weeks, I felt like we were back on the same team. It was a reminder that marriage isn’t about being perfect—it’s about being better together.
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