“No! Honey, you can’t divorce babe!”
“Then what else can I do, babe? You said you didn’t want children, and if I wanted kids, I was allowed to marry again. Now I have someone in mind, but you won’t agree. Yesterday, you said you’d rather be divorced than share a husband, didn’t you?”
“Besides, why did you give me such a difficult choice, okay? Babe was only bluffing. I don’t want you to marry anyone else! And I don’t want you to divorce me either!”
“Don’t be selfish!”
“Who’s being selfish, okay! We agreed we wouldn’t have children, so why have you changed your mind now?! You did this on purpose, didn’t you? This is just your scheme so you can have two wives. Isn’t it? You’re so greedy!”
“Enough, babe! I’m tired of arguing all the time. What’s wrong with having a child, okay? If you don’t want me to marry again, then give me a child!”
“Do you think having a child is easy, okay? Raising a child is really difficult these days. The world has changed so much, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to raise one properly. It’s better if we don’t have children. You’re busy with your career, and I’m busy with work too! If we have a child, who’s going to take care of them? A babysitter? What’s the point of having a child if a babysitter is just going to raise them in the end?” Maudy spoke at length, overcome with emotion.
“Oh, please, that’s always your excuse! Enough. Now just choose: am I marrying again, or are we splitting up?”
“No! I don’t want to choose! You’re cruel! You’re selfish!” Maudy began to cry.
The twenty-eight-year-old woman collapsed onto the bed and buried her face in the pillow. Her body trembled violently.
“Fine, then you’ll have to accept me marrying again.”
Maudy didn’t answer. She sobbed uncontrollably.
Arguments like this had been happening often for the past two years.
Their marriage was entering its fifth year, and they still had no children. It wasn’t because Maudy was infertile, but because she followed the childfree principle. At first, it wasn’t just Maudy—Hanan had agreed too. Yes. They had agreed not to have children.
However, in the third year of their marriage, Hanan began to change his mind. His friends had all started having children. He often saw his friends’ stories, which showed them looking warm and happy with their children.
The six-foot-tall man began to waver in the original principle he had agreed on with his wife. Hanan felt that his home was empty without a child.
He began asking Maudy to discuss having children. But Maudy disagreed and stubbornly held to their original principle.
“I don’t want to! What’s wrong with you, Honey? We already agreed we wouldn’t have children. I’m busy, Honey. Don’t add more to my plate. It’s better this way—we’re free. We can keep having each other to ourselves. We can keep dating each other. Why go through the trouble of having a child?” Maudy had argued at the time.
From then on, Hanan and Maudy’s marriage was filled with frequent bickering. Even the smallest things could turn into major problems.
Maudy always blamed Hanan, saying it was all because he had broken their original marriage promise. She also began forbidding Hanan from spending much time with his friends, even blocking all of Hanan’s friends’ phone numbers and social media accounts.
Why? Because to Maudy, Hanan’s friends were the ones who had caused him to change his mind. Even though everything had been fine before. The man had agreed with Maudy’s principle: not having children.
“This is all because of that cheap woman! Where is she now? I’m going to deal with her. Hurry up and tell me where she is!” Maudy threw the pillow, got up, climbed off the bed, and grabbed Hanan’s phone.
Hanan immediately grabbed his wife’s hand. “What are you doing, babe? Don’t try anything!”
“Let go! Don’t get in my way!” Maudy’s voice rose an octave.
“Calm down first. Take a breath. We can talk about this rationally.”
“What’s there to talk about rationally, okay? I’m going to make that slut regret it!”
“Don’t call her that!”
“Oh, so you’re defending her now, are you! Then what should I call her? She’s clearly a homewrecker! A cheap woman! A slut! Take me to her, or I’ll find her myself and humiliate her!” Maudy threatened, her chest rising and falling as she struggled to contain her anger.
Hanan took a deep breath. “Fine, but you have to promise you’ll talk to her calmly. Don’t let your emotions get the better of you.”
Maudy snorted in irritation.