I'm Miña, 34 years old, and I've been married for over eight years. My husband is kind, hardworking, responsible, and takes care of his family—but he has a habit that I've been keeping close to my heart for a long time.
He loves to laugh. And it's not the fun kind of humor that can make people around him happy. But the kind of joke that doesn't choose a place, time, or person—even strangers. A joke that for him is simply fun, but for other people, rudeness.
I can't count how many times he's publicly embarrassed me. One time, we were riding in an elevator and there was a bald guy with us. Instead of remaining silent, he suddenly said, "Brad, I thought you were Bembol Roco!" while grinning.
He laughed at his own joke. But the man? He just looked at us, emotionless. I don't know if he was angry or just holding back. Me? I wanted to be swallowed up by the elevator floor in shame.
It's not over yet.
At the fast food restaurant, while we were in line to order, there was another bald man in front of us. As usual, my husband couldn't hold back anymore. He cracked another joke. The result? The man approached him, very angry, and said, “___your mother, do I know you?!”
People were shocked. The whole line turned to us. Me? I wanted to go home and never show up again.
I can't count how many times I told him to stop joking around with strangers. I told him over and over again. I pleaded with him as a wife, as a friend, as a life partner. But it didn't seem to work.
The most painful thing? He's not afraid. It seems like in his mind, he's not hurting anyone, so he doesn't do anything bad. But what if sometimes, he teases the wrong person? The one with the knife? Or the one who's so stubborn that he can't even listen to an explanation?
I live every day with the fear that one day, something bad might happen to him because of his mischief.
One night, I couldn't hold it in anymore. I was so full. I cried in front of him, I yelled at him, I didn't care if what I said hurt him. I said, "If anything happens to you because of your rudeness, don't blame me. Because if you do it again, I'll really leave you."
I know I probably shouldn't do that. But maybe he needs a strong warning. He needs to be scared. Because the truth is, I'm already scared.
I'm not asking for a perfect husband. But I hope for one who doesn't always make me shy. One who knows how to respect other people. One who knows how to use the right timing when to make me laugh.
Because sometimes, jokes aren't funny. Sometimes, they're embarrassing. And sometimes, they're dangerous.
