A writer shared the ‘invisible work’ her friend did that her husband never noticed and it’s fair to say it struck a chord
It began when writer Robin Beth Schaer shared the story on Twitter of her friend’s magical soap dispenser and the ‘invisible work’ her partner didn’t know she did.
My friend & her husband lived in an apartment that had a soap dispenser installed on the edge of the kitchen sink. When they moved out after two years, he marveled to her: "it's amazing how that dispenser never ran out of soap in all this time." Women's work is truly invisible.
— Robin Beth Schaer (@robinschaer) March 22, 2019
She never told him the truth. He still thinks wistfully of that amazing, magical soap dispenser they had once.
— Robin Beth Schaer (@robinschaer) March 22, 2019
And here are our favourite things people had to say about it.
1.
My husband once handed me our perfectly intact salt shaker and told me we needed a new one because it was “broken.”
Me: “What’s wrong with it?”
Him: “It just stopped working,”
I refilled it with salt.
— Catherine (@catvoncat) March 23, 2019
2.
Things like this make it clear why men move on so quickly from a divorce or break up- They can’t handle the inconvenience of life alone. Women, otoh, do fine. We’ve done most everything ourselves anyway & now we’re spared the tragic disappointment that is hope for appreciation.
— formerly ren5pt0 (@bluinthelou) March 23, 2019
3.
My ex-husband went back to his mom’s house when I left him. The last I heard, he’s still there, after 4 years, completely incapable of managing his own shit. And this is a dude who was constantly furious with me because he believed I “never did anything around the house.”
— Alyssa Bethancourt (@vulcanelf) March 23, 2019
4.
An old workmate of mine once told me her husband had stood in the kitchen and declared: “There’s no cake!” (She handed him a packet of cake mix, so good on her for that)
— lydia_petze (@lydia_petze) March 23, 2019
5.
My brother once pranked a roommate who made instant coffee from a tiny jar each morning, by adding some back from a larger hidden jar each evening. One morning after ~3 months the roommate went WTF MAGIC COFFEEJAR to the great amusement of the rest of the house 🙂
— Andrew Myers (@andrewmyers) March 22, 2019
6.
I need someone to prank me like this
— Scoop T. Raccoon (@TOStarRaccoon) March 23, 2019
7.
Wish someone would prank my bank account like this
— Cath Morris (@TheRealJugs) March 23, 2019
8.
But also she should just stop refilling it wordlessly?
— Camille (@camillechatters) March 22, 2019
9.
Sure it’s definitely on her to go without soap forever (because I promise that’s what would happen)
— CJ (@callmecatniss) March 23, 2019
10.
Right! Just like when toilet and towel paper are magically there when you need it.
— Laura Delaporta (@ljld270) March 22, 2019
11.
this is why my husband and i like to loudly announce each chore as we’re doing it. & if he’s not home, i just text him to let him know i did a house thing.
— alexandra j. roberts (@lexlanham) March 23, 2019
12.
ME: “Cleaned the litter box!”
Cat 1: *stares at me dispassionately*
Cat 2: *slowly pushes a stack of mail off the counter*— Scott Boone (@Writerinlaw) March 23, 2019
13.
[S C R E A M I N G, in woman]
— Miss Alissa (@themstems) March 23, 2019
14.
And toilet paper on the roll!!
— Yoshimi72 (@Corinne72) March 22, 2019
17.
She never told him the truth. He still thinks wistfully of that amazing, magical soap dispenser they had once.
— Robin Beth Schaer (@robinschaer) March 22, 2019