My dear friend from those days had just turned twenty-five. She was young, slender, and strikingly pretty. She found work at a travel agency, where soon after, she became involved with the manager.
The man was well past forty, married, and raising two children. He began renting her a flat and showering her with lavish gifts. Their entanglement lasted nearly a year.
She knew he had a family and had no intention of leaving them. But somehow, he started to consider that perhaps it was time for a divorce. His wife was aware the man had a lover.
He admitted his wife was beginning to suspect something. Yet, she never confronted him with her doubts. She didnt cause a scene, rifle through his pockets, check his phone, or quarrel with him.
Her dignified and reserved approach left him feeling guilty. His wife was gentle, caring, and affectionate. He began to take better care of her, lost weight, and even changed his hair colour. A few months later, as the passion between my friend and the manager faded, his wife came to work at the agency as the chief accountant. On payday, my friend was terrified to collect her wages, fearing an uproar. Yet, the wife was unfailingly courteous and polite.
Over time, the manager grew distant from his mistress, who, in her desperation, started making cutting remarks. Meanwhile, his wife proved herself charming and composed. The relationship with my friend unravelled disastrously, and the manager spent more evenings at home. The turning point came when all three were required to go on a business trip together. During negotiations, my friend acted unprofessionally, believing her position within the company was privileged due to her affair with the manager.
In the end, my friend fared worse than the wife she had tried to replace. The manager told her to leave the flat and declared their relationship over. When she arrived at work, the chief accountant called her in and told her services were no longer needed.
Even today, my friend says she wishes she could erase the whole episode, but she remains impressed by the wifes conduct, which she still admires.
The wife turned out to be a shrewd and resourceful woman. She managed herself in such a way that her husband fell back in love with her, and now he simply dotes on her. Yet, no one knows how difficult it was for her, how often she wept and endured heartache. She pulled herself together, waited for the heady days of romance to pass, and then asserted herself with quiet strength. This is the behaviour of a wise woman.
And how do most women react? The other ninety percent kick up a fuss, lose their temper, glare, and threaten their husbands. Meanwhile, the man is swept up in his infatuation with someone else! Who will he choose: an irritable wife or a tender sweetheart? At such times, he wont pause to consider that the sweet creature might one day become as unhappy as his wife. The heart rules over reason.
And where does this leave the wife? Of course, her feelings get in the way too. Life has shown that only those patient enough to act wisely prevail.
If you discover your husbands betrayal and feel the urge to confront the other woman, try to compose yourself. Calm down and consider, perhaps theres still a chance for your husband to return. Join a fitness club, visit a beautician, see a counsellor, or try a new hairstyle. Sign up for a course. Take dancing lessons. Find a stimulating job or change your workplace. Above all, learn to cherish and respect yourself.
