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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

What do you make of this?

38 replies

isthismylifenow · 07/09/2015 08:54

I don't have anyone to discuss this with irl. So I wonder if you wouldn't mind reading through this long essay, and let me know if I am being petty, unreasonable, clingy and any of those things. I just don't know anymore:

My dh and I will be married 20 years soon. He works away a lot. I spend an awful lot of time alone. Lately he has been away over weekends too, or leaves for a trip on a Sunday morning, saying that its better so that he is ready to do whatever in the place first thing Monday morning.

Things haven't been good for a while now. I also think that he goes on trips that are unnecessary sometimes because he gets "cabin fever", We have two teenage dc, things can be difficult sometimes as most parents of teens experience I am sure.

When he is away, he lives the life of riley. Eating out, socializing, going to bed late. When he is home, he is in bed asleep by 8pm every night. Its like he doesn't even want to be here. He came back from a trip on Thursday afternoon. He wasn't even home half and hour and he had taken his motorbike out the garage and said he is going for a ride. No invite to come along, so he buggered off for an hour on the bike, I hadn't seen him for a week. Came back, ate, chatted to kids a while then went to bed. He is tired, I must understand that its tiring being away...... Well of course its tiring when you are out drinking every night and partying the night away.....

But there is one thing that I just cannot get past. We went on holiday a couple of years back to a tiny town which is on the coast. We had such a nice time and while we were there, we found a piece of land for sale, which we ended up buying. Our plan for the land is to build a house there, for now for holidays but eventually the house we will eventually retire to. We live in the city now, and its always something we have dreamed of. The land next door to this was also bought recently and the owners of the neighbouring land have started to build their house. The land is about 7 hours drive from where we currently live. Dh said that when he goes on his next trip to that area he will go there to see what they are doing so that we can start drawing up our plans. He goes to this area quite often, about every 2nd month or so. Sometimes more. He had to do to that area, and had to take one of the women from the office with him (still don't understand why but I get told nothing). The plan was to take a drive to land, have a look then they would go stay in a hotel in the town about an hour away that night. Of course, that didn't happen. He and she stayed in that town that night, in one chalet that had two bedrooms. The chalet we spent our holiday in! He swears blind that nothing happened between them. This already is a problem for me as who knows if something happened.... but the whole thing that is bothering me, is that that place is OUR place, MY place. I have been nowhere this year on a holiday or a trip, and I asked dh if there was anywhere that we could go during the year is to this place during July, as the whales come in there and its the one thing that I wanted to see. I wanted to see the whales in my special place. Of course I didn't get to go, but guess when they went. In July when he knew that was the only one thing I wanted to do this year. And she is the one that went with him to OUR land, and saw what the neighbours are doing, and i guess that they were all chatty about what and how we should build etc etc.... He even send me pictures of it, and of the beach. Pity that the photo he took had two people in the shadow then, him and her...... He says nothing happened, it was a business trip and it was convenient to go then whilst he was down there.

He went away again this morning. His trip was planned on Friday, but I was only told last night as an aside.... he was sitting on the couch and said "oh i better go pack" I said "pack for what, where are you going?" to which he shouts at me as reckons he told me and I never listen. He did not tell me, i think that if he had i would have remember since it was only booked on Friday.

I have written a letter to him this morning. I am tempted to email it to him. In the letter I have asked him to move out. I cant talk to him. If i do he will storm out, shout and me and blame me for everything, the only thing he can ever reply is 'WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO ABOUT IT!!" I cant take it anymore. Gets a high flying job in which I sacrificed mine in order for him to get it and now its seems i am no longer good enough. In the letter I have told him to do whatever he pleases for the new house on the land. I have no feelings for that place anymore. He has taken that from me by taking someone else to MY place. It isn't special anymore to me now. I don't care anymore. I feel like I am going mad. I am strong normally. I am not this person that sits in front on a computer sobbing crying and with no-one to talk to.

OP posts:
isthismylifenow · 09/09/2015 10:40

Ok DrM - you are right, I shall not use the word again.

Well I met him when I was a teenager and he is the only man I ever dated or slept with and we later got married. I am 44 years old now. Maybe our sex life is/was crap, but I have nothing to compare it to iyswim.

No, its never been all that exciting really. Boring and monotonous is probably the right term to use. He went out and bought toys for me though, these same ones that I am getting shit for using now.

I know I just need to get it over and done now. He is home today, will talk it though again tonight hopefully so that we can go ahead and just do it. How to tell the kids is what I am finding hard at the moment. But deep down, maybe they already know. A child just doesn't cut themselves for no reason do they? She is a anxious child, and lately she is all over me, asking me what's wrong all the time, so much so that she started annoying me with the constant asking. Its not fair, I know. She is just a child.

I will adjust, I know. Just have to get there though.

OP posts:
tribpot · 09/09/2015 10:48

Wow - hats off to him, he's managed to make the sex life your problem despite the fact you instigate things and have clearly tried to keep him happy. Of course you aren't the slightest bit unusual in needing some assistance to orgasm, however he might as well have been waving a giant flag upon which was written 'I have screwed someone else and she didn't need a vibrator', since that's what he actually means.

He's been taking the piss for years - leaving early on a Sunday morning, WTF?

Get yourself off to a solicitor and arm yourself with information. Be businesslike and detached, but remember you have nothing to be ashamed of. Hold your head up high.

isthismylifenow · 09/09/2015 10:48

123Jump, I did try to explain the vibrator thing. I do know that not all women can orgasm just like that. But according to him, its not so. My point is, how can he know that then if he claims he hasn't slept about.... He asked me if I use it when he is away. I said once or twice and I have.. I see now that where it is situated in the cupboard, has been 'booby trapped", I think he has carefully stashed stuff there in a certain order to see if its been moved.

Why??

OP posts:
TendonQueen · 09/09/2015 10:50

He's been very unfair to you and hasn't put in the effort he should have done to the marriage. And you're dealing with all the hard stuff, teenagers day to day, maintaining the house, running a business - don't think you aren't strong! You are much stronger than you think. Plus the thing about 'not normal' is wrong, this is very common among women and he's being a dick and trying to make you feel bad about that.
I'd be telling him at this point that he will need to have alternate weekends at home with his kids from now on as you will be wanting time for yourself on equal terms now you are no longer a couple. None of this life of Riley he's been living. He will get a nasty shock when he realises how easy he's had it. Even if you book into the cheapest Travelodge every other weekend I would do this.

AnyFucker · 09/09/2015 10:58

As well as removing the word "pathetic" from your vocabulary, I would remove blow jobs from your repertoire (at least for him)

He doesn't give a shit about your pleasure if he has made you feel bad about using a vibrator (personally I rate their invention up there with the advent of the wheel) so stop pandering to his

isthismylifenow · 09/09/2015 11:06

That's for bloody sure AF! Well, I have had quite a bit of practise now for someone who really does appreciate it some time in the future. Right now, if I never see one again I wouldn't care less Wink

OP posts:
AnyFucker · 09/09/2015 11:09

And what kind of "man" booby traps his wife's sex toys ?

He is the pathetic one.

DrMorbius · 09/09/2015 11:12

TendodrnQueen raises a good point. All the decisions you made as a couple are "null and void" if/when you split. He needs to know that its not "business as usual", but rather that things will need to be renegotiated. For example you staying at home while he swans around, was an agreement when you were a "couple". That may no longer suit you.

He needs to know this in clear terms (of course you may wish to stay with your DC's but you can use it as leverage in your negotiations). Who knows you may decide to go and work away during the week yourself (probably not) but he doesn't know that for sure.

AnyFucker · 09/09/2015 11:12

All the men I know would think him a complete loser

simonettavespucci · 09/09/2015 11:25

Yeah or maybe he's been sleeping with a woman who was faking. It happens and it doesn't sound like he'd notice. Anyway loads of women use vibrators, it's totally normal. What is not normal is your H giving you grief about it. What a moron.

It sounds to me like your DD is picking up on the tension in your marriage and that may be a contributing factor to her anxiety, so leaving him will almost certainly help with that in the long run.

DrMorbius · 09/09/2015 11:29

And what kind of "man" booby traps his wife's sex toys ?

In terms of a work away person - A very weird and selfish one. I have read that men "self maintain" between 3-5 times per week on average. My guess is that it will be the high end for him (working away). Yet he wants to booby trap your attempts......that's beyond weird.

Norest · 09/09/2015 15:57

Or he has watched porn and decided the fake orgasms women seemingly give at the drop of the hat are the 'norm'. Whatever it is, he is wrong. Plenty of women don't orgasm without other assitance, many don't orgasm at all, but still enjoy intimacy, sex or other ways of being close. There is no such thing as 'normal' in that regard.

Booby trapping your stuff is ridiculous and added to the claims he doesn't 'do it' for you and attempting to make you feel like you are abnormal sexually all just smacks of his inadequacy.

44 is young! This is a tough time, but you can get through it, you sound so strong, probably a lot stronger than you realise.

Flowers
Jan45 · 09/09/2015 17:02

You know what at 44 you still have plenty life left to meet someone who will actually love and appreciate you.

I'd guess he's been living a separate life for years and yes I'd imagine there's been more than one woman; please don't let his shit bring you down, he's the one who checked out years ago. Your home and yourself have merely been conveniences for him whilst he indulged when away, you are well rid.

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