The Suitcase

There is an episode of Everyone Loves Raymond where Debra, Raymond's wife, leaves a suitcase on the stairs for weeks after they return from a vacation. The reason she leaves it there is because Raymond always just brings the luggage into the house and drops it off somewhere, expecting her to unpack and put it up.

I laughed so hard through the entire episode I could hardly breath. Raymond knew what was going on and he refused to be the first to "break". Everyone who visited the house - grandparents, siblings, neighbors - would ask about the luggage that would just not go away.

It struck me as funny because I've done the same thing, with one exception. Steve never knew I was leaving it out for him to deal with. He's clueless when it comes to subtle (and not-so-subtle) hints.

My dearly beloved husband has this one flaw that makes me want to choke him; he never puts anything up. It's bad enough I day dream about being a "nagging wife". I know if I mentioned it every time, if I harped on it, he'd do it. The problem is that type of action is totally against my personality. I'm not a harper - and somehow I feel weak just admitting it.

So every time Steve goes on a trip, fishing, out to the skeet range, etc., he brings home whatever and plops it in the nearest clear spot. He and Will went camping last weekend. He came in about lunch on Sunday and dragged an ice chest, suitcase, and gun case into the house. I finally dumped out the ice chest contents on Tuesday when they began to smell.

This morning Steve went to the kitchen, where his suitcase is still located, and opened it to dig out some boots. But he left the suitcase there. I hauled it into the laundry room and washed everything in it - how am I suppose to know what's clean? I'm not smelling anything that man owns.

I also went ahead and put up his gun today, too. Just like I put up the fishing poles and tackle box from the last fishing trip that he left in my car for weeks.

You would think after picking up from behind him for fourteen years it wouldn't still bother me. Yet, every time I finally give in and put up his stuff, I feel like I lost again.