The Bitterness in Marriage — a Short Story
“What is the problem that weighs on your heart?” sighed the old wizard as he comforted the sobbing young man.
“My wife is bitter at me and wants to leave. Can you brew a potion that will cure her bitterness and save our marriage?” pleaded the young man.
“Of course I will” smiled the wizard with a twinkle in his eye. “But first you will need to fetch a couple of ingredients!”
“Yes, anything you ask for, I will find!” said the young man eagerly.
“My lad, you will first need to bring me the root of her envy. Find out what you have but she doesn’t. When you find out, bring me an object that symbolizes her answer.
Immediately, the young man dashed off and began talking to his wife. And to his surprise, she shared how she was envious of how he always got a full night of sleep. She on the other hand, had to wake up multiple times throughout the night to feed their newborn baby. After discovering this insight, the young man rushed back to the wizard holding a small bundle of lavender branches; symbolizing his wife’s desire for more sleep.
“Very good!” greeted the wizard. “The next ingredient you will need to fetch is the seed of her fear. Find out why she is too afraid to be open with you.”
With that, the young man sprinted back home and pleaded with his wife to tell him why she is so afraid of being open with him. When she finally confessed, he found out she was scared that he would get drunk and scream at her when he was angry.
After kissing his shocked wife on the lips and thanking her, he grabbed a big bottle of mead to symbolize his drinking habit and headed off to see the wizard again.
When the wizard received the bottle of mead, the young man was puzzled. For the old wizard simply reclined back on his leather chair and sipped cheerfully on the mead.
The young man asked in bewilderment, “Why have you stopped brewing the anti-bitterness potion?”
The wizard replied, “Why should I continue, when your wife is already cured?”
Resentment and bitterness is an emotion that no potion or pharmaceutical drug can cure. It can only be restored by identifying the source of envy and having the someone who is compassionate enough to listen to it being shared.
