It had been months since my husband and I were able to go out for an evening alone. I had a major catastrophe at work that caused me to take on a bunch of overtime, without extra pay.

My husband was starting to really show signs of disapproval with the current situation and was encouraging me to find a new position with the company or leave. I tried many times to explain to him why that just wasn't possible at the time, but he just wouldn't budge.

In the beginning it seemed like he was looking out for me, but as the months passed I began to feel like he was just griping about having extra chores at home. I felt pulled between home and work and despite my initial empathy for his situation at home, I began to feel resentful that he was upset about the extra burden of what I do all of the time at home. I missed my kids and normal work hours. The house was not cared for the way I wanted, but I refrained from any complaints.

By the end of the third month, my husband's complaints were followed up by my own disappointment in his unwillingness to be patient with my situation. Eventually, my hours went back to normal but our relationship seemed to suffer damage that continued to cause us problems. After 6 months, he still complained about my job like I was still working too much. My boss was frequently showing dismay that I wasn't working enough. Despite an interview with a competing company, I didn't have any offers for another equal paying position for another firm. My husband seemed to like that I contributed to the family income, but was no longer understanding of our shared responsibilities. It seemed like he held a grudge over my extra hours I dedicated months earlier.

My employer does pay more than the average firm with similar job types, so it wasn't easy to find something that could provide income that supports our same lifestyle.