Nine months pregnant, Eloise was exhausted and frustrated. The crib sat unopened in the nursery for weeks, despite her constant reminders to Tom. To him, it was just another task; to her, it was a symbol of his lack of support. One evening, fed up with waiting, she dragged the heavy box across the room and started assembling it herself. When Tom walked in and dismissed her efforts with a casual remark, her tears made it clear: this wasn’t just about a crib—it was about their partnership.
That night, Eloise realized Tom needed a wake-up call. She hatched a plan and the next morning, asked him to handle preparations for a “small get-together” she’d arranged with friends and family. Tom, clueless about the real weight of her request, agreed easily. What he didn’t know was that the tasks were too much to complete on such short notice. Eloise watched silently as he scrambled around, panicked and disheveled, while the pressure mounted.
By the time guests arrived, Tom was a mess. Decorations were half-done, food barely prepared, and the missing cake was glaring. Eloise stood before their family and friends and revealed that she had assembled the crib alone, heavily pregnant. She reminded everyone—and Tom—that marriage and parenthood are about teamwork, not leaving the load on one person. The room went quiet, and even Tom’s mother voiced her disappointment in him. Tom sat humiliated, finally realizing the weight of his neglect.
After the party, Tom admitted his failure. He apologized sincerely, admitting he hadn’t realized how much he left on her shoulders. Eloise told him plainly that she needed a partner she could rely on, not just for big moments but every day. Tom promised to do better, and Eloise gave him one last chance. For her, it wasn’t about the crib anymore—it was about building a life together, equally.
