When Lisa’s husband, Tom, starts pressuring her to get a second job, she begins to suspect his reasoning. Finally, fed up with his insistence, she takes a job. Once there, she discovers a horrifying truth about her husband.

In our house, I’m the one who earns the most money. It wasn’t a problem before, but lately my husband Tom has been pressuring me to take a second job.

A woman holding her head | Source: Midjourney
A woman holding her head | Source: Midjourney

“You don’t even leave the house to work, so it’s impossible that you’re as tired as I am at the end of the day,” Tom tells me.

“But you’re a mechanic, Tom,” I countered. “You run your own business. And you take three days off just because you have people to do the work.”

“Let’s just drop this conversation,” he said dismissively.

A man working on a car | Source: Midjourney
A man working on a car | Source: Midjourney

And for a few weeks, we left the conversation unresolved. I hoped I wouldn’t bring it up again, because I didn’t understand why we had to talk about it.

“Are you having financial problems, Lisa?” my mother asked me when I told her about Tom’s suggestion during our mother-daughter pasta outing.

Mother and daughter smile | Source: Midjourney
Mother and daughter smile | Source: Midjourney

“No, not at all,” I replied. “Look, we’re not difficult people, we’re not extravagant, so our lives are easy to manage and maintain. It’s just that Tom was really pushing for this.”

“Do you think his business isn’t doing well?” she asked, taking a sip of her drink.

A cocktail on a table | Source: Midjourney
A cocktail on a table | Source: Midjourney

“That can’t be,” I replied. “I’ve seen the number of cars coming in and out each week. It’s enough to make a profit. And you’ve been constantly hiring new staff. That’s good too.”

“So what’s it about?” my mother asked.

“I have no idea,” I said, adding more grated Parmesan to my pasta. “But I do know I don’t have time for a second job. I cook and clean while sitting in front of my laptop. I do the grocery shopping during my lunch breaks, and I also take the dogs to the vet or whatever. I don’t think it’ll work.”

A man working on a car | Source: Midjourney
A man working on a car | Source: Midjourney

“You have to tell her that, honey,” my mother said. “You have to let her know that you can’t take on any more responsibility that’s going to leave you exhausted.”

Everything was going well until we decided it would be better to sell my car and buy a new one.

“I told you, Lisa,” Tom said one night during dinner. “You have to get that second job.”

A couple sitting at a table | Source: Midjourney
A couple sitting at a table | Source: Midjourney

He cut the steak and the knife grated against the fork.

“Why me?” I asked, incredulous. “I already work long hours, and my job is exhausting. I have to stare at a screen all day and pay attention. By the end of the day, my eyes hurt and my brain is fried. And then I have to worry about dinner, laundry, and everything else.”

Woman sitting on the floor with dirty clothes | Source: Midjourney
Woman sitting on the floor with dirty clothes | Source: Midjourney

“Your job is easy, Lisa,” he retorted. “You try to make it seem worse than it is. You work from home, remember? You don’t have to go out. And you don’t get as tired as I do because you’re not crawling under cars every day.”

I was in shock.

“Why don’t you find another job? You can do it on your days off,” I suggested.

A woman in shock | Source: Midjourney
A woman in shock | Source: Midjourney

“Because then, Lisa,” he said slowly, as if speaking to a child, “I would miss bowling with my friends!”

He said it as if it were the most logical reason in the world.

Seriously? To me, it was the stupidest reason in the world.

A man at a bowling alley | Source: Midjourney
A man at a bowling alley | Source: Midjourney

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll take a look.”

My husband seemed as if Christmas had come early.

“Good,” he said. “That’s it.”

Close-up of a smiling man | Source: Midjourney
Close-up of a smiling man | Source: Midjourney

I watched as she picked up her plate and placed it on the kitchen counter, without even attempting to empty the rest of the food into the trash.

If he wanted me to find a second job, I would. But I knew he would hate what I had in mind.

The next day, when Tom was leaving for work, he poked his head into my home office.

A plate of food | Source: Midjourney
A plate of food | Source: Midjourney

“Don’t forget to start looking for a job,” he told me. “And put more effort into my overalls, Lisa. There are some grease stains that just won’t come out. It’s embarrassing.”

And he left.

“Goodbye to you too,” I murmured as she walked away.

A woman sitting at her desk | Source: Midjourney
A woman sitting at her desk | Source: Midjourney

Then I went to the bowling alley’s website. It was the place where Tom and his friends played. I’d always wondered why they frequented that small place, because I found it dark and unwelcoming.

“Come on, Lisa,” Jill said. “We both know that Tom and Marcus go for the waitresses in short dresses.”

Marcus was Tom’s best friend, and Jill was his wife. We’d all been invited to the bowling alley once for its anniversary, and after Jill and I saw the place, we never went back.

A waitress at a bowling alley | Source: Midjourney
A waitress at a bowling alley | Source: Midjourney

My plan was simple: get a job at the bowling alley for the night shifts and make my husband jealous enough that he would regret his suggestion.

On my first day at the bowling alley, a Wednesday, which was the weekly bowling night for Tom and his friends, I asked him if he was going to the bowling alley.

“Are you going bowling tonight? Do you want to have dinner at home before you go?” I asked casually, while preparing breakfast.

A woman cooking | Source: Midjourney
A woman cooking | Source: Midjourney

“Yes, probably,” he said, without looking up from his phone. “Make fish and chips or something like that.”

“Okay,” I said, smiling. “See you there.”

Her eyes met mine; confusion was reflected on her face, but she shrugged.

Close-up of a man | Source: Midjourney
Close-up of a man | Source: Midjourney

“Oh, you have no idea what awaits you,” I said to myself as I walked out the door.

That night I arrived at the bowling alley in my new uniform: a tight, short dress that left little to the imagination. I couldn’t imagine my husband would approve of me wearing something like that.

“I’m sorry about the uniform,” said Ursula, the manager. “I’ve tried to make changes and even add stockings or gaiters, but the owner insists it stays the same.”

A bowling alley | Source: Midjourney
A bowling alley | Source: Midjourney

“That’s a sick thought,” I said.

I manned the drinks stand, bending down from time to time to fry the miniature donuts that were quite popular with the teenagers playing bowls.

I saw Tom arrive alone and start playing. When the first hour was over and the teenagers started leaving to observe their curfews, the men began to get rowdy. As expected, the men started hitting on me.

Finally, my husband saw me, and his eyes darkened at the attention I was receiving.

“What the hell, Lisa?” Tom approached furiously, his eyes wide. “What are you doing?”

Close-up of an angry man | Source: Midjourney
Close-up of an angry man | Source: Midjourney

“I’m working, Tom,” I said, smiling. “You wanted me to get a second job, remember?”

“I didn’t mean this!” he shouted.

“Well, I’m getting good tips,” I replied.

My husband clenched his jaw.

“Resign. Now,” he shouted.

“You said we need the money,” I said, walking away to serve another table.

A waitress with a bottle in her hand | Source: Midjourney
A waitress with a bottle in her hand | Source: Midjourney

Tom went back to the bowling alley; he didn’t want to make a bigger scene. But I knew that as soon as my turn was over, he’d bring it up again.

He kept looking at me every few minutes.

About halfway through my shift, Ursula approached me.

“Is it bothering you too?” he asked, nodding at Tom.

The manager of a bowling alley | Source: Midjourney
The manager of a bowling alley | Source: Midjourney

“What do you mean?” I asked, puzzled.

Ursula let out a deep sigh.

“That man has seduced almost all the waitresses here. One even had his baby two weeks ago. I heard she’s demanding child support now. Apparently, he had a paternity test done to prove it and all that.”

I knew Ursula had no idea I was married to Tom, so there was no need to lie or hide the truth. What she had just told me was a version of my husband I didn’t know existed.

Close-up of a newborn baby | Source: Midjourney
Close-up of a newborn baby | Source: Midjourney

That’s why she wanted him to get a second job. She wanted him to pay child support.

I walked towards Tom, ignoring the stares of the other customers.

“You are a disgusting human being!” I yelled, slapping him hard across the face.

“What the hell, Lisa?” he yelled, clutching his cheek.

A couple arguing | Source: Midjourney
A couple arguing | Source: Midjourney

“You’ve been sleeping with the waitresses here?! And one of them just had your baby?” I spat, tears streaming down my face.

Tom paled.

“I can explain,” he stuttered.

“I don’t care,” I said. “I don’t want to hear it. You’ll pack your things and leave tonight. I’ll file for divorce tomorrow.”

I stormed out of the bowling alley, my heart shattered. Who was the man I had married?

A man in shock | Source: Midjourney
A man in shock | Source: Midjourney

What would you have done?

If you enjoyed this story, here’s another one.

I caught my husband with his mistress in a hotel — This is a romantic trip they’ll never forget
A smiling couple by a window | Source: Unsplash
A smiling couple by a window | Source: Unsplash

As Eliza’s 10th wedding anniversary approaches, she hopes Tom will take her on a romantic getaway. But when he forgets their anniversary and has to work, she turns it into a girls’ weekend. Only to discover that Tom’s business trip is actually a rendezvous with his mistress.

Read the full story here .

This work is inspired by real events and people, but has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

The author and publisher do not guarantee the accuracy of events or character portrayals, and are not responsible for any misinterpretations. This story is provided “as is,” and the opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.

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