Margaret did not expect to come home and find her husband Martin busily digging in the garden with his ex-wife. Their quiet conversation and dirty hands suggested that they were hiding something from the past. When Margaret confronted them, she realised that Martin was not as perfect as she had thought. She had heard about men cheating with colleagues, friends and even exes, but she never thought she would have to worry about that with Martin. She had always considered him the ideal man. They met two years ago through a friend, right after she broke up with her ex after a five-year relationship.
I was at rock bottom, feeling broken, insecure and doubting myself. That’s when Martin came into my life like a breath of fresh air. From the very beginning, he was kind and attentive, always listening to my stories about how my day went, and he never seemed boring. It really touched my heart when he showed up at my door with homemade chicken soup and my favourite romantic comedies on his laptop. ‘Everyone needs care when they’re sick,’ he said with a warm smile. I thought, ‘This is the man I’ve been waiting for.’
I liked one thing about Martin — his cute quirk: he stuttered when he was nervous or stressed, and I found it charming. I remember that after a month of dating, he invited me to a fancy Italian restaurant to celebrate our “monthly anniversary”. He was excitedly talking about the new accounting software his company was using when suddenly his fork slipped, splattering tomato sauce on his shirt. He blushed and stuttered, ‘I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to… how awful.’ I couldn’t help but smile. I reassured him, saying, ‘It’s okay, red suits you.’ In the end, we both laughed about it, and later, over dessert, he told me that he stutters when he’s stressed.
As we grew closer, Martin began to talk more about his past, including his ex-wife Janet. He told me that she always wanted more—more money, more things, more status—and that their marriage fell apart because of her endless demands. He talked about credit cards maxed out, arguments over expensive clothes, and her outbursts when they couldn’t afford a fancy holiday. ‘That’s why we broke up,’ he said one evening as we hugged. “I couldn’t keep up with her anymore. I felt like I was drowning, and she was pushing me down the whole time.” I couldn’t believe anyone could treat such a wonderful person that way, and I promised myself I would never be like that. I would love Martin for who he was, not for what he could give me.
A year into our relationship, when Martin proposed, I said ‘yes’ without hesitation. Our wedding was small but beautiful, and it was the happiest day of my life. Then last Tuesday came.
I had just spent the weekend at my mother’s and was looking forward to coming home and surprising Martin with his favourite lasagne. But when I pulled up to the house, I saw something that made me slam on the brakes. Martin and his ex-wife Janet were digging up my garden. I sat in the car, shocked, trying to understand why they were destroying the flowers I had worked so hard to grow.
I got out of the car and walked over to them, angrily asking what was going on. Martin looked scared and was stuttering, which made me even more worried. He only stuttered when he was really nervous. Was he cheating on Janet? Were they still together? Why were they digging up the garden?
Janet intervened and said they were digging up a time capsule they had buried ten years ago when they lived here. Martin agreed, looking embarrassed, and said they thought it would be fun to revisit old memories. I was furious that they were destroying my garden for this.
I stormed into the house, trying to make sense of what was happening. Martin and Janet followed me, holding the dirty time capsule in their hands. Martin suggested we talk, but I was too upset. I told them to go and reminisce, and I went outside.
Looking at the damage they had caused, I decided to build a fire. When it was burning well and the sun was setting, I heard Martin and Janet laughing inside. I called out to them.
‘Why don’t you bring all this outside? We could make a nice bonfire.’ A few minutes later, Martin and Janet joined me outside, and Martin placed the time capsule on the ground. ‘This is great,’ he said with a smile. I nodded and began taking old photographs and letters out of the box. Before Martin could say anything, I threw everything into the fire.
‘What are you doing?’ Janet asked.
‘Burned bridges should remain burned,’ I replied firmly. ‘It’s time to focus on our future, not our past.’ I watched as the flames destroyed their memories and realised that this was not how I had imagined our life together. But perhaps from here we could build something new and real. I also saw that Martin was not the perfect man I had imagined him to be; he had flaws, just like everyone else.
Janet said it was time for her to go and quickly left. Martin apologised with tears in his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Margaret. I didn’t know how to tell you about the time capsule. I was afraid you would think I still had feelings for Janet, or that you would be upset about the garden. I thought that if I just dug it up while you were away, it would all be over. But now I see that I made a big mistake. Will you ever be able to forgive me?”
‘I don’t know, Martin,’ I replied honestly, staring into the fire. ‘You broke my trust, and that’s not something that can be fixed quickly.’
‘We need to talk and work things out,’ I continued. ‘But not today. I need some space.’
‘Of course,’ Martin said, nodding. ‘I’ll sleep on the sofa.’ When he went back into the house, I stayed by the fire, thinking about how to plant the garden with new seeds and soil. Perhaps our relationship would also start over. Only time would tell which direction we would go. But one thing I knew for sure: my view of Martin had changed forever.
What would you have done in my place?
