As their usual Sunday routine — Kristen and Gary spend their morning doing chores at home before heading to the grocery store to plan for the week. But when Gary gets a phone call from his friends, he bolts — leaving Kristen to fork up the $650 bill and find her own way home. Who is more important to Gary, and what can Kristen do to teach him a lesson?
For as long as I’ve been married to Gary, we have had a set Sunday routine. We wake up, have brunch and then hit the grocery store. It’s been this way for the past two years — it’s how the system runs smoothly.
Two plates of food on a table | Source: Unsplash
So, it’s a Sunday morning. I make us brunch while Gary sorts out the outside — mowing the lawn and so on.
“Are you ready?” Gary asked, as he came into the kitchen fresh from a shower.
“Yes,” I said. “Don’t forget to take the shopping bags.”
A lawn mower outside | Source: Unsplash
We get to the store, and my husband and I have a ball of a time. We walk the grocery store per aisle, making sure that we got everything we needed — and then some. We were both foodies, so cooking together was our love language.
Until Gary’s phone rang, and I saw a different side to my husband.
A shopping cart in a grocery store | Source: Unsplash
We were just about to start unloading our cart at the checkout when Gary’s phone erupted with a loud ring.
“Sorry, Kristen, but I’ve got to take this,” he muttered, stepping aside to answer. “You can start checking out, though.”
So I began to unload all of our groceries — the meat, the veggies, the fruit, not to mention the junk food and drinks that we had stocked up on, too.
Moments later, Gary returned, looking both agitated and excited.
A man using his phone | Source: Pexels
“Listen, I have to run,” he said, glancing at the groceries as the checkout guy went about scanning them.
“Where do you have to go?” I asked.
“The guys are waiting for me. We’re going to have some beers, barbecue, and watch the game together,” he said.
Gary put his hands in his pocket, and looked toward the exit.
A person holding beer with firewood in the background | Source: Pexels
I thought that he was waiting for us to finish at the grocery store, then drop me off at home before taking off to his friends.
“I’ll see you later,” he said.
“What? Now?” I asked, puzzled. “But we’re about to check out!”
“I know, I know,” he said hurriedly, swinging the car keys. “But I can’t miss this, Kristen! It’s a big deal, you know that the guys and I barely hang out.”
A man holding car keys | Source: Unsplash
“How am I supposed to get all of this sorted out and get home? You’re getting a cab?” I protested, my eyes darting between Gary and the growing line behind us.
“What? No! I’m taking the car. But I’ll call you a cab!”
He hastily began to place items on the conveyor belt.
“Okay,” he said. “I’ve got to dash!”
And with that, he was gone.
A man walking away | Source: Pexels
“Do you need help with these?” the checkout guy asked. “We have people to help with these things.”
I nodded. I couldn’t believe that Gary had actually left me at a grocery store, just to go and drink with his friends.
“That will be $650, ma’am.”
A cashier at check out | Source: Unsplash
Of course, Gary had left without leaving any cash behind. It wasn’t that I relied on him for money — it’s just that we usually did this type of thing together. And $650 wasn’t what I had expected our grocery trip to come to.
I paid and wheeled the heavy cart outside. I stood looking at the parking lot, hoping that by some miracle, Gary would still be there.
That he would be waiting for me.
An upset woman looking down | Source: Unsplash
That he would have finally realized that he was wrong to leave me for an insignificant moment with his friends.
I deserved better.
After a few minutes, a cab drove by. The driver got out and helped me pack all of our groceries into the trunk, and we took off for my home.
A yellow cab | Source: Unsplash
The more I thought about it, the angrier I got with Gary.
What on earth could have possessed him to leave me alone? I felt hurt and disrespected. I hated everything about the way I felt. My husband had never made me feel this way before.
I got home and unloaded all of the groceries. I was in a foul mood by then. So, I made a cup of tea and took it to my bubble bath. I needed to relax before thinking about how to get back at Gary.
A cat among grocery bags | Source: Unsplash
As I was sitting in my bath, sniffing the calming scent of lavender, I decided that I would cook myself a fancy dinner with all the ingredients I had bought.
“Two can play at this game,” I thought, shuffling around the house in my socks and pajamas.
I put on some music and I began to cook — I prepared an elaborate feast, grilled chicken, roasted vegetables, couscous, and the works. All of our favorites.
A bubble bath with tea and a book | Source: Pexels
The kitchen smelled heavenly, and I was in the zone. While waiting for the oven, I set the table meticulously for one — my resolve hardening.
If there was one thing I knew about my husband — he would always check my social media, especially when he was away from me.
So, I took photos while I cooked, and posted them on my socials.
A woman cooking | Source: Pexels
My stories were always perfectly captured, and I usually shared my cooking online. Shortly after I posted every story, Gary would ‘like’ it — and every time he did that, I knew that my plan was working.
Sure enough, my husband would be with his friends — drinking and snacking and watching whatever game they said they were going to. But Gary wouldn’t eat there, not when he knew that I was cooking at home.
For good measure, I sent him a photo of my plate saying:
Dinner is fantastic tonight, wish you were here! xx
A person taking a photo of food | Source: Pexels
Later that night, Gary returned to a clean kitchen without leftovers. I was lounging comfortably with a glass of wine and a book — the evidence of my solo feast neatly packed away at the back of the fridge.
“Hey,” he began uncertainly, after he walked in and out of the pristine kitchen. “The house smells incredible. Did you save me some dinner?”
A glass of wine on a table | Source: Pexels
I shook my head, a slight smile playing on my lips.
“Actually, no,” I said. “But you missed a great meal. Everything was so fresh!”
Gary’s face fell as he glanced around to the dining table, as if hoping that there would be a plate of dinner for him.
“I didn’t have dinner,” he admitted.
“Oh? Why not?” I asked, crossing my legs.
A man sitting and covering his eyes | Source: Unsplash
“Because I saw your stories and I thought that there would be dinner for me, too,” he said.
I remained silent. My husband knew exactly what he had done wrong. I just needed him to admit it.
“Kristen,” he said. “I’m sorry I left you at the store like that. It was a last-minute thing with the guys and I didn’t know what else to do. I wanted to be with them, I guess. And I knew that you could handle it.”
Gary walked to the fridge and returned with a beer. He opened his mouth to start talking again.
I raised a hand, stopping him mid-excuse.
A cold beer bottle | Source: Unsplash
“Gary, when you choose your friends over me, it’s more than just leaving me to handle the bills or whatever. It’s way more than that. You left me behind so that you could drink beer. You made me feel second to a barbecue. Today, I wanted you to experience coming home expecting a warm meal and finding nothing.”
“You did this on purpose?” he asked, shocked.
“It’s not just about food,” I continued. “It’s about the people you prioritize.”
A woman sitting on a couch | Source: Pexels
“I never looked at it that way,” he said. “I’m really sorry.”
Our conversation that night was long and honest — Gary needed to be reminded of the fact that we were a team and that we did everything together regarding our home. But it turns out that I also needed to be reminded that we could have our lives, too.
“Get out sometimes,” he said. “Go out with your friends, and leave me to take over the house. You’re allowed to escape the routine, too.”
A group of friends having a picnic together | Source: Pexels
When we went to bed that evening, I felt bad. I had never denied my husband food before, but there was a lesson to be learnt here.
Gary needed to know that he couldn’t leave me stranded in a grocery store without a car. Or without offering to help. Beer and barbecue did not qualify as an emergency.
“You’re right,” he said as he brushed his teeth. “I need to get my priorities straight.”
I’m not sure if Gary learned his lesson, but I do think that making him buttered toast and tea for dinner was a step in the right direction.
Buttered toast with jam | Source: Unsplash
Blind mystic Baba Vanga and Nostradamus both made the same concerning predictions for 2025
Some of you may be considering what kind of New Year’s resolutions you could make as 2025 draws near. If these forecasts come true, then there’s no need to worry.
Yes, as 2024 draws to a close, the ghosts of the past become more audible as two of history’s most mysterious people, Baba Vanga and Nostradamus, make terrifying prophecies that never cease to both enthrall and horrify.
The prophetic abilities ascribed to these fabled seers have been a subject of discussion for many years, regardless of one’s stance.
Despite having died away in 1996, Baba Vanga, the blind Bulgarian mystic born Vangeliya Pandeva Gushterova, is credited with an amazing 85% accuracy rate in her predictions.
According to The Economic Times, they have reportedly included Barack Obama’s presidency, the 9/11 attacks, and Princess Diana’s passing.
With predictions spanning the next three millennia (scroll to the bottom of the page for that delightful reading), her prophetic talent has left a lasting effect and cemented her place as a formidable force in the field of prophetic mystery.
Furthermore, the 16th-century French astrologer Nostradamus recorded his visions in the enigmatic quatrains of his book Les Prophéties, published in 1555.
His predictions are credited with predicting significant occurrences as the ascent to power of Adolf Hitler, the murder of President Kennedy, and the September 11 terrorist attacks, solidifying his status as a visionary whose writings are constantly examined for hints about what lies ahead.
Unsettling Forecasts for 2025
2025 has been identified by both seers as a critical year with serious ramifications for the international scene:
Nostradamus predicts the rise of a dark cult and the establishment of an underwater dominion.
In the meantime, Baba Vanga adds a futuristic perspective to our comprehension of human potential when he anticipates the development of telepathy.
But the projections also have a darker tone when it comes to war predictions.
Both foresee a catastrophic war in Europe; Nostradamus refers to it as involving “cruel wars,” but he also cryptically states that “the ancient plague will be worse than enemies.”
Furthermore, Baba Vanga forebodingly says that this fight will “devastate” populations, which bodes ill for the near future and makes me wonder if I should really bother purchasing my yearly calendar featuring Neil Diamond.
And if that’s not enough to keep you up at night, Nostradamus also predicts the arrival of an asteroid on Earth, saying that “a fireball will rise from the cosmos, The world begs you to be a forerunner of fate. The fate of the Earth, a second chance: science and fate in a cosmic dance.
A Hint of Hope and Intriguing Extraterrestrials
There are glimmers of hope despite the ominous predictions.
According to Sky History, Nostradamus alludes to a potential end to the continuing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, speculating that interventions by countries such as France or Turkey might usher in peace and that both sides will eventually run out of energy.
Strangely enough, both seers hint at the prospect of extraterrestrial encounters; Baba Vanga, for example, speculates that aliens might show up at a big athletic event.
However, as I have already stated, Baba Vanga left us forecasts that would last for 3,056 years when he passed away. Needless to say, things don’t seem to work out well with the aliens.
Baba Vanga was a person who?
According to the Mirror, Baba Vanga, known as the “Nostradamus of the Balkans,” is said to have had an accuracy rate of 85%. Her forecasts have been known to come true even after her death.
At the age of twelve, she was supposedly blinded by a storm, during which her mystic talents apparently materialized.
However, what prophecy of the mystic has apparently come true in the past?
The terrorist strikes of 9/11
She made the menacing prognosis in 1989: “Oh, horror! The steel birds will attack and then the American brothers will fall. The terrifying allusion to “steel birds” may refer to the aircraft that Al-Qaeda hijacked and used in the horrific 9/11 attacks in 2001.
The Kursk’s sinking.
In 1980, Baba had a terrible vision of Kursk, Russia, being “covered with water, and the whole world will weep over it.” Her prediction was confirmed when a nuclear submarine sank close to Kursk in August 2000, killing 188 crew members.
Given the realization of those terrifying prophecies, it becomes plausible that you might want to worry about the following 3,000+ years. Here’s how she see the next three millennia developing, from the New York Post:
2025: The population of Europe will be destroyed by a conflict.
2028: Research on Venus as a potential energy source will start by humans.
2033: Sea levels will rise dramatically on a global scale due to the melting of the polar ice caps.
2076: Communism will take hold in numerous nations worldwide.
2130: Aliens will make contact with humans.
2170: Much of the globe will be destroyed by drought.
3005: A Martian civilization and Earth will engage in combat.
3797: The Earth is no longer habitable, and humans will have to leave.
5079: The end of the world.
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