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June 28, 2005
Pain and Apathy
It is on days like this that I find it exceedingly difficult to not verbally lash out at everyone involved in the military, including my husband.
Without going into detail and calling him every dirty name in the book, then proceeding to throw said dirty name book at the closest doctor at LRMC, today I feel like I am lower than dirt when it comes to my priority in this little food chain of my reality.
I take a back seat at all times to my husband's job, even when I feel like I should at least get to sit in the front seat; (not like I am asking to drive). I have always understood, thanks to my upbringing, that if the government would have wanted their men to be married, they would have issued wives in basic training. That having been said, the military of today does recognize the importance a soldiers family plays in his life, and gives some modicum of thanks and respect.
This terrible creeping feeling is eating away at me; if it was anyone else's wife in that shop who had surgery less than a week ago, and needed to go take care of an errand to improve her pain, they would be out of there like a shot.
Not my husband. I have, for the most part, been told to suck it up... He will get to it when he can, I suppose. That could be 10 minutes from now, or sometime this afternoon. At no time am I to be informed of an exact plan. That's his idea of doing the best he can.
Now, if I wanted to encourage his wrath, by making him look like the world's biggest heel, I could make a phone call to his superior explaining my situation. I am sure they would not only encourage him to help me in any way he can, but would insist upon it- all the while letting him subtly know what a shithead he was for making me "grin and bear it" in the first place.
So I sit idly by, in wait. Even him walking through the door right now will not make me feel any better- as I will be made to feel guilty and wrong for imposing such a torturous and inconvenient errand upon him. Although I did the best I could to motivate the doctors do to better for me, and started my bitchery with the clinic at 7:45 am, I have now forced the inconvenience of the pharmacy trip to the afternoon hours, which means heat and sweat. If not for my complaining, I know secretly he would rather go tomorrow, despite my pain; would that he could... I am far too stubborn, and frankly in too much pain to stomach that.
I hate being a burden.I always have. It does not mesh well at all with who I am- especially not when I am "supposed" to be in the back seat, where a good military wife belongs. UPDATE:
We have just returned from the long and arduous afternoon. I hate Ramstein... I hate going there, I hate being there. My biggest bitch is the parking- or lack thereof.The crowding sucks, the constructions compounds these issues. It is a fact of life that we have to go there for anything official or medical. Suh as today.
To conserve my number of trips down the stairs on a bum leg, I try to get as much accomplished as possible per trip. My ID card is soon to expire, and getting it replaced was on the list of shit to do today. Arriving at the ID card office at 3:05 PM, we were sent away, being told they close at 3. Assholes.
I did get my meds.
I did tell my husband that he hurt my feelings, and how bad I already felt being partially crippled; I didn't need him exploiting that fact and enforcing my feelings of helplessness. A paragon of self-righteous indignity I was. Receiving a very sincere apology, I have opted for letting it go... Well, only after reminding him that I went out of my way last year to NOT make him feel like a burden when he had his back surgery. Ass chewing and guilt trip successfully completed, I have taken my pain killers and now feel much more mellow.
There will certainly be plenty more days in the next ten years until he retires that we will quarrel over the military career versus the family affairs. It is an inevitable part of the life military spouses must endure. I know now, as a married woman, why my mom used to cry when I was a kid... even though she always said there was nothing wrong, those days always went hand in hand with something going wrong with Daddy's work.
It takes a very special and strong soul to withstand this lifestyle. For those thousands of others out there, I applaud you.
Our lovers lay down their very life for our country. We give up everything in our lives so they can. We do it quietly,( for the most part), and we are proud of our men for what they do- even when we hate that they do it.
Posted by TheFreud at June 28, 2005 10:56 AM
Comments
GOOD MILITARY WIFE?? what the hell is that? you make it sound like a puupy who's been punished for puddling on the floor! If it's an inconvience for him to run to the pharmacy for your prescription just because he's not in the mood to go..THEN WHY THE HELL DID HE TAKE LEAVE FROM WORK?? Maybe a swift kick in his balls may let him know what level of pain and discomfort you are in...but then you would end up taking care of him..and he doesn't deserve you or the kindness!!
Posted by: Mom at June 28, 2005 3:12 PM
Mom tends to get over zealous sometimes :D
Very protective, and easily rattled when it comes to me being hurt or upset.
It's just cuz she loves me.
Believe it or not, she likes my husband too.
Posted by: MsF at June 29, 2005 1:53 AM