Mantekilya can break a marriage

I’ve become the confidante of Alex. Ever since I met him, he wasted no time in venting out his frustrations about his wife. And in my opinion, the causes of his irritations are all petty and could easily be remedied by his wife except that it’s not my place to go talk to her and teach her how to be a better wife to Alex. I cannot tell her that puting back the mantekilya in the ref every time she used it can break her marriage.

Alex is a nice fellow who went thru a lot of struggles getting to where he is now. He is extremely hardworking and he prides himself that he now has a comfortable yet not luxurious life.

He’s been married for 19 years to someone who was paired to him so he could get a green card. Their relationship did not start with the usual kilig and starry-eyed kind of love. He tried his best to love her out of gratitude that he was indebted to her for marrying him without any conditions other than wanting to help him legitimize his stay in the US. He wanted their marriage to work and be one that was founded on love and commitment.

Lately, the lifestyle and maybe cultural differences are taking a toll on his sanity. To give him credit, getting a divorce is still far from his mind. But everyday he has to deal with coming home to a very messy house. He describes his house as parang pinagbabagan ng aso at pusa. His wife doesn’t wash the dishes, do laundry, etc. It freaks him out seeing the mantekilya, butter knife, milk carton, glasses, etc. sitting on the kitchen counter. He said for 19 years, he always told her to put back the butter inside the ref but she never did. I suggested to him to get a house cleaner for $15 an hour, wag na lang daw.