
I am having an issue that is very difficult for me to live with but living with. It is the bad luck my wife brings when she is around. We are married for 16 years & have a 15 yrs. old daughter, we are Bengalis.
My marriage was an arranged marriage But once the marriage was done I found that whatever tasks I tried to do with my wife around is bound to fail
Similarly, for my wife it is the same whatever she tries with me it is a failure
Examples In the early years I got an opportunity to go to the USA for a long-term assignment, when my wife was in her native for childbirth I went alone & after a few months she joined me, just within 2 months of her joining my project was abruptly closed & I was sent back. This was a wakeup call & just to see how things work I send her to our native to complete her studies & in 2 years it was smooth, but again when she returned within 6 months my Kolkata project got closed & was forced transferred to Pune, I came here alone & within a few months got another job when I brought her to Pune things started going wrong, I got smart & when things will get wrong I will send her to native for some alibi & things will look up, then get her back again things will start getting wrong & again repeat... it was a challenge as my daughter’s schooling was being effected I can give 100s of example how I purposely made sure she is not around when I had to do something critical.
I see a similar situation on her side if I am not around things work out but if I am around simply luck will make sure to fail.
Now things have gone to the extent that I make plans that she is not there even if I go out for minor tasks like going to an ATM .. if she goes with me the ATMs will be out of order & I have to return without the cash
I am a rationalist & never believe in luck or that someone can bring bad luck .. but such has been the repetition of bad lucks & failures when my wife is around that I have succumbed. About 5 years back we started talking to astrologers, palmists & all sorts of people whom I used to ridicule & they tried all their rings, tabiz, etc but nothing worked.
My wife takes care more than a modern-day housewife, cooking managing the household, shopping taking the kids to school, hobbies, & she tries to put her best sincerity into it there is no complaint. In fact, she is taken as an idol among many of our relatives & friends for her behavior & ways she maintains relations with others, this has gone to such an extent that many in our family & friends are jealous of her
I don’t think it will be possible to continue like this forever but she is a housewife, doing her best We belong to the middle class I simply don’t want her to dump her with people saying all sorts of things as I feel for her BUT cannot stay with her as now she just around makes me feel nervous. I have tried several times to think positively but could never convince myself
We have never talked about this in-depth as I know she is helpless & there is nothing for her to change & will only be hurting her. But many times she told me when things go wrong that she is bringing me bad luck & trouble not once but always, I have simply ignored or reasoned with her the logical thing " as the project got closed due to a change in company strategy" etc, but things turning negative when she is around & turning positive when she is not there EVERYTIME for 15 years is really something I can’t convince myself. She is only unlucky for me but for others like her father, relatives & friends she is very lucky, even 2 days ago one of our neighbors called her as someone was coming to see their daughter for marriage, she went & it worked for them, they call her because she has an ideal homely look which such critical guests think “ah they have good company” & also as the neighbors’ aged mother told” since you came our work got done since you are lucky “
Now why I am writing to you is something maybe you have never heard of. One of my office colleagues ( I will tell you he is between a colleague & a friend with whom I spend a considerable amount of time usually discussing office stuff but he is more open to me on his personal issues, I am a little conservative on this front & have never talked or will like to talk about the issues with my wife) who is childless almost my wife's age. He also was in a marriage for about 10 years but his wife has been very violent, he tried his level best met a number of psychologists, etc but things have not worked. 2 months ago he decided to divorce his wife & is now working on the legal formalities. Many a time while talking I will tell him the way my wife behaves & he will really rue if his wife was like this. From my wife's side, I know her choice & this colleague will be his dream prince.( very handsome, smart, very good talker). On asking about plans after the divorce my colleague has told me that he is looking to remarry preferring divorcee/widow as he doesn’t want to have kids at this age. His ideal wife choice matches my wife. He will be looking for after his divorce gets to some stage. I clearly know that both will be a really good match & will be eternal pairs. I am sure she will not be unlucky for him. I had invited my colleague to my home for tea (with me) so that they can meet which they did, I tactically left them alone for some time but I don’t want to talk to my wife about thinking of this colleague as this will be very offensive & if she refuses our relationship may be damaged forever. Also in no way can propose my married wife to my colleague. I don’t want to talk to anyone but create a circumstance or at the most an indirect hint that they can think of to evaluate if they want to be together. Can you please help
As a closing note, I will like to mention, in Dec last year I was told that I will be layedoff from my position by June 30, I immediately started searching for other jobs but nothing worked for 3 months, after completion of my daughter annual exams I send them to my native & now I have got a job in Bangalore, I will leave my family in Pune reasoning my daughter should complete her 12th from the school here but the real reason is above. I don’t have any girl in my life but if she moves out then maybe I can think. Also, my wife is among my 3 people for whom I can do anything so that they will be happy other 2 are my mother & daughter. But I am practically abusing/punishing/torturing her just because I can survive. This colleague looks like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for everyone to be happy. The only mental block which I need to remove is my colleagues who being a gentleman will never think about my wife & my wife’s that she is in a marriage will never think. If things don’t work out between them then I am Ok with things to go as its going but that’s just spending years. I will take care of her but maybe never stay with her with some alibi & certainly will not be thinking about another girl still she is dependent on me
Ans: Dear Anonymous,
Standing in today's day and age, how can you still believe a person can be the sole reason for someone's good luck or bad? It's just a mere coincidence, whatever has happened.
Anyways, what to want to believe is up to you; coming to the part where you need assistance: you want to leave your wife and set her up with your colleague? I hope I got that right, given how messed up it is. Getting a divorce is your choice; if you aren't happy, or in your case, if you are feeling "unlucky" you might want to end a relationship but how your wife wants to live her life after the divorce is absolutely her choice. How can you, for even a second, think of setting her up with your colleague? You might think you are being generous and trying to take care of her, but it's just you soothing your own guilt.
Leave her if that's what you want; she'll be lucky for it. But don't try to guide her life in whatever direction you want it to go.
Good Luck!