People often think that females boast far more frequently than males do. For instance, sharing with pals about their lavish partner, clever children, and perfectly organized existence. Yet, Olivia had seen firsthand that guys enjoy flaunting before others too, occasionally inflating their successes by a huge margin.
Her spouse Nicholas served as a clear illustration. His tendency to brag stood out even while they were dating. Anyway, Olivia viewed it as a personality quirk she could put up with.
Once they wed, she discovered that his bragging occasionally went way beyond limits. Nicholas might spin such wild yarns about himself to buddies and contacts that his spouse was unsure how to respond. Such as claiming he was the sole team member to receive a bonus equivalent to five months’ pay.
Or that he enjoyed a fortnight at a high-end resort in the Maldives. Or received a seaside villa as inheritance. Olivia, hearing her husband’s tales, chuckled silently to herself.
She was aware that the Maldives trip was really 25 miles outside town, at his mom’s cottage. There, on a tiny lot with a single-level home and outdoor toilet, they passed their summer break. The spouse typically avoided cutting in on Nicholas when he began showing off to family or friends.
Only when he truly overdid it and uttered total rubbish would Olivia subtly gesture for him to cease. In general, she saw this defect in her partner as relatively benign. After all, the fellow is amusing himself, nothing to be done.
Olivia and Nicholas’s marriage occurred four years back. At that point, both had previously been wedded and separated. As the saying goes, life kicks off after forty.
Olivia and Nicholas met each other in their forties. They shared such affectionate and reliable bonds that youthful pairs might envy them. Their love affair progressed swiftly.
Merely half a year after encountering one another, Nicholas asked for Olivia’s hand in a formal atmosphere. And two months on, they exchanged vows. The initial year of wedded bliss resembled a perpetual romantic getaway.
Olivia and Nicholas devoted plenty of hours together. They meshed so nicely that they rarely quarreled, save for minor issues. Nevertheless, the initial major challenge arrived soon enough…
It turned out that Olivia became jobless. The firm she served went bankrupt. When he found out his wife lacked employment, Nicholas felt somewhat depressed.
— What, now I’m the only breadwinner in the house? — he asked Olivia in a dissatisfied tone. — We can’t live large on my salary alone.
And what are we supposed to do? I doubt I can work for two. — I’ll definitely find a job, — his wife assured him passionately.
— In Chicago, there are all kinds of vacancies now, and tech is always needed everywhere. — Yeah, keep listening to those stories. Anyone can work.
Yeah, right. The reality now is that employers, upon seeing a candidate over forty-five, do everything possible and impossible to reject them. You’re turning forty-five soon, Olivia, and your chances for a good position are fading fast.
— Nicholas, you’re dramatizing too much. Yes, I lost my job, but I’m determined to find a new one. Maybe not on the first day of searching, but the odds are good.
Her husband just shrugged. Soon Olivia realized there was some truth in Nicholas’s words. The employers she was interested in didn’t directly state in the ads that they weren’t considering candidates over forty-five.
However, after what seemed like successful interviews, no one called Olivia back, and she had to start the whole marathon over again. From morning to evening, she ran to job fairs and various interviews, studied websites, and sent resumes to new companies. Of course, there were employers ready to hire her tomorrow, but their demands were so high and salaries so low that such employment was out of the question.
Since Olivia spent her days job hunting, she couldn’t keep up with the house as before. If she used to vacuum the carpets and mop the floors at least three times a week, now she limited herself to light cleaning on weekends. She also couldn’t cook fresh meals and delicacies for Nicholas every day, which upset him greatly…
