Witnessing My Pregnant Sister’s Mistreatment, I Confronted Her Husband and Took a Stand

I Visited My Pregnant Sister, and When I Saw How Her Husband Treated Her, I Taught Him a Lesson

I had no idea that my pregnant sister’s husband would treat her like a servant when I got to her house. However, everything changed when I took a watermelon and placed an insane wager on it.

When you visit your nine-month-pregnant sister and witness her being treated like a maid, what should you do?
I experienced this when I had to stay at my sister’s house for a few nights while traveling for work.

I could tell as soon as I opened the door that something wasn’t right. My darling sister Lily was waddling around with a protruding belly.

She had a pale face with heavy rings beneath her eyes that resembled twin shadows. She was so exhausted that I could almost see it emanating from her.
Her spouse, who we shall refer to as “Mark” for the sake of the innocent (or not so innocent, in this instance), was stretched out on the sofa with a controller in his hand and his eyes fixed on the television.
That’s when I understood why my sister was so tired. I saw firsthand Mark being treated like a king that first evening.

It was dinnertime. Despite her condition, Lily had obviously put effort into the basic spaghetti dish.
However, after taking a bite, Mark winced and said, “This is so cold.” I’m heading upstairs with this.
After taking his plate, he vanished up the stairs. His video game sounds eventually reverberated downstairs.
Lily, god bless her, just groaned and got to work clearing the table.

Then, I watched in shock as she turned on the washing machine, loaded the dishwasher, and started folding a mountain of baby clothes.
Naturally, I assisted, but Mark kept up his upstairs gaming marathon the entire time.
Over burnt toast for breakfast the following morning (I guess Lily’s fatigue was impairing her cooking abilities), I struck up a conversation with my brother-in-law.
“Hey, Mark,” I said tentatively. “It seems like Lily is doing a lot around here. Given how soon the baby is arriving, perhaps you might help?”

Without even looking up from his phone, Mark scoffed. “Oh, please, hurry up. You realize that’s a woman’s job?”
Even though my blood pressure was increasing, I took a deep breath and gave it another go. Just wondering if you might help put together the crib or wash the dishes. It’s not very complicated.”
At last, Mark looked up and squinted. “You really are the drama queen. Just like she will enjoy caring for our child, Lily adores looking after me. Please keep your progressive belongings outside of my home. My spouse only carries out her duties.”

I had to suppress the impulse to hurl my coffee in his arrogant face as I felt my fury boil. But then something occurred to me—a ludicrous, absurd plan that might actually work.
I put a false smile on my face, finished my coffee, and said, “You know what, Mark? You’re accurate. It is Lily’s pleasure to look after you. You couldn’t possibly accomplish everything she does for a day, I bet. That’s how much.”
Mark got a smug look on his face. “Oh my goodness? What would happen if I were to refute you?

I said with a big smile, “Then I’ll be your personal maid for the rest of my life.” “But you have to take charge and be the husband Lily deserves if you lose. Alright?”
With a giggle, Mark held out his hand. “Deal.”
A watermelon, a roll of plastic wrap, and a lot of resolve were my secret weapon, which little did he know was waiting in the wings. *** With the conditions of our bet settled, I made a swift trip to the grocery shop, nearly skipping with cheeky delight.
When I came back, I had found the largest, roundest watermelon possible. I recruited my sister to assist me in setting up Mark’s “pregnancy simulator” after telling her about my scheme.We sliced the watermelon in half, removed the delicious insides (reserving them for later), and then delicately wrapped each half in plastic wrap to make them resemble heavy bellies. Two in case we had to swap them out at a later time.

“Are you sure about this?” Lily inquired, amused and a little apprehensive.
“Absolutely,” I answered as I finished the watermelon. “It’s time he got a taste of his own medicine.”
I offered Mark a handwritten list of Lily’s daily responsibilities, including laundry, dishes, cleaning, mopping, grocery shopping, meal preparation, and nursery painting, when he got home from work. I also showed him the watermelon.
Mark merely laughed. “It’s going to be easy,” he exclaimed, putting his chest out there.
Lily and I took a seat on the couch and arranged a bowl of popcorn in between of us. The show was going to start.

What a concert it was, too!
Mark first walked around with a cocky demeanor, the watermelon half-bouncing on his stomach with every stride. But the situation’s truth quickly became apparent.
As he leaned to retrieve a loose sock, the watermelon suddenly swung forward, almost causing him to lose his equilibrium.
He tried to vacuum, but his penguin-like waddling was caused by the excess weight. The watermelon continued knocking against the door, making it impossible for it to close as he attempted to fill the washing machine.

Lily and I were laughing so hard we were crying.
“Need some help?” Lily laughed when I called out in a nice voice.
Gritting his teeth, Mark grumbled about how “women’s work” was actually easier than it appeared.
But by midday, he was perspiring profusely. He was walking like a snail, and the half of a watermelon stuck to his clothes.
It was especially funny to watch him attempt to paint the nursery. He was perilously perched atop a stepladder, his equilibrium wobbly.
With the passing of the afternoon, his bluster gradually dissolved. At some point, my brother-in-law’s weight—which was not quite as heavy as an actual pregnant belly—became too much to bear.

He even forgot his early arrogance at one point and was cleaning the bathroom floor while crawling on his hands and knees.
Lily and I looked at each other knowingly. We were aware that this was more than simply a pointless wager; it was an opportunity for Mark to fully comprehend the daily sacrifices Lily made.
And the lesson was beginning to dawn on him, based on the painful expression on his face.
Mark literally and figuratively threw in the towel when the sun finally started to drop. He flopped down on the couch, tossed the cloth on top of the coffee table, and began peeling his half of the watermelon.

“I… I can’t do it,” he moaned, tipping back his head after discarding the hollow fruit. “I give up!”
After a little moment of silence, Lily rose to her full pregnant height and cast a pitying glance at her spouse.
Mark met her look and his eyes began to well up with tears. “Lily,” he moaned, worn out and dejected. “I apologize so much. I was clueless. I had no idea how much work you put in every day.”
Lily’s eyes filled with tears, but they weren’t depressing ones. Relief, hope, and the prospect of a better future glistened in their eyes.

She put out her hand and caressed her husband’s cheek tenderly.
“It’s okay,” she comfortingly muttered. “You didn’t mean to hurt me, I know that. However, I’m happy that you now get it.”
That evening, I watched as Lily made dinner and cleaned up the watermelon mess, feeling a shift in the air around the home.
Mark really pitched in with the housework for the first time since I’d moved there. He did the dishes, did the washing, and without using too many swear words, he even put up the baby’s crib—a small miracle in my opinion.
The change happened quickly, and it was very appreciated. Mark became become Lily’s loyal assistant who was able to predict her needs before she spoke.

In addition to cooking and cleaning, he also massaged her painful feet and covered up his previous attempt to paint the nursery a soothing pastel blue.
Mark was Lily’s rock when her contractions began a few days later. When their lovely baby girl was born, he held her hand, comforted her, and even cried a few tears of his own.
As he held his kid, his face brimming with affection, I realized my watermelon experiment had been successful.
Gone was the old Mark and in his place was a guy who loved his wife and child more than anything else.

I was about to go when Lily gave me an embrace that crushed my bones. She whispered, “Thank you,” in my ear. “You saved our marriage and gave our daughter a father who will love and cherish her always.”
Warmth filled my heart as I gave her a hug in return. I hoped Mark would maintain this mindset forever because I knew that humans weren’t flawless.