My Wife Celebrated Her Junior’s Birthday

On our wedding anniversary, I canceled all my meetings and made a reservation at a restaurant.

That evening, my wife, the renowned investigative journalist Amaya Shaw, called me.

“Efim, I’m sorry! I just received a tip from a source. It’s urgent.

“It involves inside information about a well-known company. I have to go verify it immediately!”

But the next day, I saw that Javor Furey, the junior she had brought along, had posted a collage on his social media.

The central photo showed Amaya wearing a childish birthday hat. Her head was pressed against Javor’s, as they made a wish together in front of a cake covered in candles. This was the caption.

[Thanks, my dear Ms. Shaw! Even in the midst of her busy schedule chasing big stories, she remembered to give me this surprise birthday!]

[Chasing big stories.]

I stared at those three words. Then, I glanced at the limited-edition bag on our dining table. It was the one she had been raving about for half a year.

It was the anniversary gift I had prepared for her.

I felt absurd. I commented just two words under that post.

[How touching.]

Her call came in almost the second I hit send. She sounded furious.

“Efim, do you have to be so sarcastic?

“It’s just an anniversary. How old are you? Why are you still celebrating such childish anniversaries?”

From our first year of marriage to the present, her “tip-offs from informants” and “special circumstances” always took precedence over our promises.

This time, she could not even be bothered to come up with a plausible excuse.

I did not say anything. I hung up and blocked her number.

This marriage was over.

No sooner had I hung up than the phone started ringing again.

I clenched the phone in my hand, then immediately blocked Amaya Shaw’s number.

A partner from the law firm knocked and came into the office.

He asked in concern, “Efim, you don’t seem like yourself today. As for that important client meeting tonight—”

I rubbed the bridge of my nose and cut him off.

“Postpone it to next week. Also, clear my schedule for the next few days.”

After all, I needed some time to settle a personal matter.

No sooner had I finished speaking than the video call notification began ringing.

I glanced at it. It was an invitation from Javor Furey.

Out of a sort of cold curiosity, I answered the call.

On the screen, Javor looked innocent and aggrieved.

Amaya and several colleagues from their department stood behind him. The background resembled a private dining room.

“Mr. Gogh, I’m sorry. I really didn’t know yesterday was your anniversary…

“I was celebrating my birthday alone and felt a little down. Ms. Shaw only came to comfort me.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Gogh. I’ll never celebrate my birthday again.”

I burst out laughing. This was not an apology at all.

It was clearly a collective show from the whole group.

Amaya stood behind him with her arms crossed.

Then, she said expressionlessly, “Now that Javor has apologized to you in person, are you satisfied?

“Efim, how did I never realize that a renowned lawyer like you could be so petty?”

Seeing that Amaya had sided with Javor without hesitation, the other colleagues on the screen chimed in one after another.

“Mr. Gogh, it’s only natural for Ms. Shaw to look out for a newcomer! Don’t take it so personally.”

“That’s right. Javor is just starting out. It’s normal for a senior to show some concern.”

I gave a cold laugh and said, “What’re you all yapping about? I don’t have a junior colleague like him.”

Then, I cut off the video call, unwilling to watch this nauseating spectacle any longer.

I never imagined Amaya’s colleagues would be so blind to right and wrong.

By the time I finished my work and returned home late at night, I found Amaya sitting in the living room waiting for me.

“What does it matter if we missed one anniversary? Was it really necessary to make such a scene and embarrass everyone?”

She tapped her fingertips impatiently on the coffee table.

“Javor just graduated and has no family or friends in this city. As his senior and a fellow alumnus, is it wrong for me to look out for him a little?

“Besides, I did go to verify a lead last night and only stopped by to check on him on the way. What’s wrong with that?

“You had to go and post those snide comments. Now, Javor doesn’t even dare to talk to me normally!”

I shut the door, and the pent-up anger I had been holding back finally boiled over.

“It’s just his birthday. Does he really need your entire team to go all out and throw him a ‘surprise’?

“Our anniversary plans were postponed from last year to this year! Do you even care about us anymore?”

After all these years with Amaya, this was the first time I had ever expressed my anger so bluntly.

She seemed to know she was in the wrong and instinctively avoided my gaze.

“All right, I know I was in the wrong this time. I neglected you.”

Although she admitted her mistake, she did not really sound remorseful. It was only a half-hearted apology.

Amaya’s tone softened. It was tinged with a deliberate attempt at conciliation.

“I promise this won’t happen again, but only if you apologize to Javor first.”

So, her concession was merely a negotiating tactic.

All that was just to get me to apologize to her junior.