A Marriage Counselor's Dream

I'll talk more about our wonderful vacation on another day.  Today?  Today we talk once again about the tragedy that is our marriage.

My husband and I, like many couples, don't communicate well.  The last time we had a decent Q&A was many, many years ago.  It went something like this....

"Will you marry me?"
"Okay."

(We're a walking romance novel, I tell ya'.)

We had company coming to visit on Saturday at noon.  All week long I had been preparing food, cleaning house and folding laundry.  I was beyond excited to see these folks and I didn't want anything to ruin our few precious hours together.

Friday evening my husband told (not asked) me that we would be going to town Saturday morning for a few hours.  I made a mental note of changes I needed to make in my timeline for the next day: chopping onions and peeling potatoes the evening before, gardening that just wasn't going to happen prior to their visit, etc.  I didn't question why I needed to accompany him; I knew he must have a feed pickup or something similar in the shop and I'd need to drive an extra vehicle home.

So, the next morning we got up early and drove to town.  We stopped by the vet to pick up some medicine, ran by the farm and ranch store for assorted screws and chainsaw parts and ran to the auto store for new batteries for a hay truck.  By the time we finished this third errand I was starting to feel a bit pressed for time.  I finally inquired as to what the plan was and when was the part where I would jump in and be of some use on this entire excursion.

He casually replied, "Oh, I don't need you for anything.  I just know you like to get out of the house and I thought we could all just take a nice little drive together."

I'm not ashamed to admit I began to bawl while standing in the middle of a store's parking lot.  All my planning and preparation to be a wonderful hostess that day was shifted and turned upside down.  And why?  Because my husband thought he was doing something sweet but really just made me kinda hate him (a lot) for the entire 45 minute drive home.

Please tell me we're not the only married couple in the world that doesn't communicate.  And please, someone give me hope and tell me we'll get this talking-to-each-other-stuff figured out eventually.