People who fly are familiar with how costly airport shops can be. That is particularly the case for the shops that have clothes and other accessories. The exorbitant prices keep most people away from the outlets. But what if you needed something urgently? One man didn’t buy his wife expensive shoes at the airport because her heel broke before they boarded the plane, and now he’s not sure if he was right. So he took to the r/AITA subreddit to get a verdict.
OP is married and has a six-year-old child. He recently had to go on a business trip to Asia. His boss told him that he could take his wife along with him, provided he paid for her plane ticket. So he made all the necessary arrangements to treat her wife to a trip.
The Necessity Of The Expensive Shoes
OP explains the preparation for their trip was slightly hurried: “I paid for her ticket and left our six-year-old with a friend. We were slightly rushed as we made it to the airport a little late and weren’t sure about the lines at security. Unfortunately for my wife, once we crossed security, the heel on her boot broke.” Now, he was already confused as to why his wife insisted on going to the airport on heels. With the latest stroke of bad luck, his wife had no choice but to uncomfortably tiptoe since her shoes’ heels would fold out if she put any pressure on them.
The couple then decided to look for a fresh pair of shoes before they boarded the plane. However, there were very few stores that sold shoes when they got there. Every pair they did come across cost at least $350. OP didn’t want to pay that much for shoes. So, he told his wife to stick it out with the broken boot during their first flight. OP also told her that they’d continue to try to get a new pair during their first stopover in Europe, which would be within his budget.
According to OP, their luck was not any better in Europe. The same problem occurred there as well: “While there were more shops, many of them were closed, and the one open shop we found in our terminal had even more outrageous prices of around [$435]. Eventually, I just told her to wait until we arrived [in Asia], and she changed her shoes when we picked up our checked bags.” As such, even if her wife did not make a scene at the time, over the course of the day, OP could tell that his wife was mad at him.
OP’s Reasoning And The Internet’s Reaction
OP explained, in the end, that his decision to avoid buying his wife expensive shoes for the flight because of the price was fine. This is because he did all the heavy lifting during the trip. Now, before we get into the Internet’s reaction, we agree that OP’s story is quite insensitive to his wife. When you are starting off on a trip, there can always be accidents. Moreover, if you have the means for it, ensuring she has some sort of comfort should be the priority. OP even referred to her as a Stay-at-home mother as a way of explaining why she did not have her own money.
The internet is largely of the same opinion, with most calling op TA. The top comment by u/tessherelurkingnow reads: “I’m sorry, what? SAHM parents usually have access to the money their spouse makes. You know, as compensation for all the free labor. Either pay your wife or join your accounts, this is ridiculous. I can’t believe you made her walk around with a broken heel. YTA.”
u/Witty-Stock-4913 finds the whole post difficult to believe, but still rage-inducing: “This is clearly rage bait, but if not, YTA, dear lord, so much YTA. Do you have ANY idea how uncomfortable she was? What it feel like to walk around on a broken heel, much less through an airport? And this doesn’t even BEGIN to touch the vileness of “she doesn’t have her own money”. She, in fact, has as much right to the family money as you do. You’re financially abusive and I sincerely hope she leaves you. ”
So, what do you think of the situation? Is OP too controlling? Or, is Reddit’s reaction a bit too reactionary? Let us know in the comments below!
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