Chapter 1 – The Saturday Checklist
“My family will be here in four hours.”
That was how my husband, Alex, interrupted the first peaceful Saturday I had enjoyed in months. I was twenty-five, two years into our marriage, and sitting beside a basket of laundry with coffee in my favorite chipped mug. Alex stood over me holding his phone and a sheet of paper, looking remarkably relaxed for someone announcing six unexpected guests.
His parents, his sister, and her children were all coming. He wanted the kitchen cleaned, groceries purchased, dinner cooked, dessert baked, and—according to the list he handed me—the baseboards wiped. There was nothing beside his name because his name wasn’t even on the page.
“We don’t want the house looking bad,” he said before settling onto the couch and reaching for the remote.
It wasn’t the first time. He had once mentioned that his parents were spending the night only after I returned from shopping. Another time, his cousins arrived with a toddler and a puppy while Alex cheerfully assured them I had everything handled.
I always rescued him. Then everyone praised the meal, Alex accepted the compliments, and I collapsed after cleaning the kitchen alone.
But that Saturday, something inside me became very still. I placed the checklist on his chest and smiled.
“Of course,” I said, reaching for my purse. “I’ll go to the store.”
I let him believe I meant the grocery store.
