--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When my husband had an affair with…" description: "\"“When my husband had an affair with someone else I watched his eyes glaze over when we ate dinner together and I heard him singing to himself without m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b0/jeanette-winterson-166_day-by-day_when-my-husband-had-an-affair-with-someo_1822363.jpg" --- # When my husband had an affair with someone else I watched… ![“When my husband had an affair with someone else I watched his eyes glaze over when we ate dinner together and I heard him singing to himself without me, and when he tended the garden it was not for me. He was courteous and polite; he enjoyed being at home, but in the fantasy of his home I was not…” quote by Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b0/jeanette-winterson-166_day-by-day_when-my-husband-had-an-affair-with-someo_1822363.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b0/jeanette-winterson-166_day-by-day_when-my-husband-had-an-affair-with-someo_1822363.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b0/jeanette-winterson-166_day-by-day_when-my-husband-had-an-affair-with-someo_1822363.jpg) > ““When my husband had an affair with someone else I watched his eyes glaze over when we ate dinner together and I heard him singing to himself without me, and when he tended the garden it was not for me. He was courteous and polite; he enjoyed being at home, but in the fantasy of his home I was not the one who sat opposite him and laughed at his jokes. He didn't want to change anything; he liked his life. The only thing he wanted to change was me. It would have been better if he had hated me, or if he had abused me, or if he had packed his new suitcases and left. As it was he continued to put his arm round me and talk about being a new wall to replace the rotten fence that divided our garden from his vegetable patch. I knew he would never leave our house. He had worked for it. Day by day I felt myself disappearing. For my husband I was no longer a reality, I was one of the things around him. I was the fence which needed to be replaced. I watched myself in the mirror and saw that I was mo longer vivid and exciting. I was worn and gray like an old sweater you can't throw out but won't put on. He admitted he was in love with her, but he said he loved me. Translated, that means, I want everything. Translated, that means, I don't want to hurt you yet. Translated, that means, I don't know what to do, give me time. Why, why should I give you time? What time are you giving me? I am in a cell waiting to be called for execution. I loved him and I was in love with him. I didn't use language to make a war-zone of my heart. 'You're so simple and good,' he said, brushing the hair from my face. He meant, Your emotions are not complex like mine. My dilemma is poetic. But there was no dilemma. He no longer wanted me, but he wanted our life Eventually, when he had been away with her for a few days and returned restless and conciliatory, I decided not to wait in my cell any longer. I went to where he was sleeping in another room and I asked him to leave. Very patiently he asked me to remember that the house was his home, that he couldn't be expected to make himself homeless because he was in love. 'Medea did,' I said, 'and Romeo and Juliet and Cressida, and Ruth in the Bible.' He asked me to shut up. He wasn't a hero. 'Then why should I be a heroine?' He didn't answer, he plucked at the blanket. I considered my choices. I could stay and be unhappy and humiliated. I could leave and be unhappy and dignified. I could Beg him to touch me again. I could live in hope and die of bitterness. I took some things and left. It wasn't easy, it was my home too. I hear he's replaced the back fence.”” [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator feels invisible and replaced in a marriage, describing emotional erosion and longing for autonomy. **In simple terms:** She feels like a discarded object in her relationship, yearning for freedom. Key Takeaway Seek self‑validation and set healthy boundaries. Themes relationships identity self‑worth power dynamics emotional health Mood melancholic introspective Type narrative emotive When to use this quote - Therapy - support groups - personal journaling - assertiveness training Key Concepts self‑discovery boundaries communication self‑care empowerment Questions to Reflect On - What steps can one take to reclaim personal agency? - How does self‑perception affect relational dynamics? A Different Perspective May reflect a personal crisis not universally applicable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Day by day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day-by-day/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“You would have been better off if you admitted to yourself that she was the love of your life. 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He was courteous and polite; he enjoyed being at home, but in the fantasy of his home I was not the one who sat opposite him and laughed at his jokes. He didn't want to change anything; he liked his life. The only thing he wanted to change was me. It would have been better if he had hated me, or if he had abused me, or if he had packed his new suitcases and left. As it was he continued to put his arm round me and talk about being a new wall to replace the rotten fence that divided our garden from his vegetable patch. I knew he would never leave our house. He had worked for it. Day by day I felt myself disappearing. For my husband I was no longer a reality, I was one of the things around him. I was the fence which needed to be replaced. I watched myself in the mirror and saw that I was mo longer vivid and exciting. I was worn and gray like an old sweater you can't throw out but won't put on. He admitted he was in love with her, but he said he loved me. Translated, that means, I want everything. Translated, that means, I don't want to hurt you yet. Translated, that means, I don't know what to do, give me time. Why, why should I give you time? What time are you giving me? I am in a cell waiting to be called for execution. I loved him and I was in love with him. I didn't use language to make a war-zone of my heart. 'You're so simple and good,' he said, brushing the hair from my face. He meant, Your emotions are not complex like mine. My dilemma is poetic. But there was no dilemma. He no longer wanted me, but he wanted our life Eventually, when he had been away with her for a few days and returned restless and conciliatory, I decided not to wait in my cell any longer. I went to where he was sleeping in another room and I asked him to leave. Very patiently he asked me to remember that the house was his home, that he couldn't be expected to make himself homeless because he was in love. 'Medea did,' I said, 'and Romeo and Juliet and Cressida, and Ruth in the Bible.' He asked me to shut up. He wasn't a hero. 'Then why should I be a heroine?' He didn't answer, he plucked at the blanket. I considered my choices. I could stay and be unhappy and humiliated. I could leave and be unhappy and dignified. I could Beg him to touch me again. I could live in hope and die of bitterness. I took some things and left. It wasn't easy, it was my home too. I hear he's replaced the back fence.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jeanette Winterson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/when-my-husband-had-an-affair-with-someone-else-i-watched-his-eyes-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Day by day" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/when-my-husband-had-an-affair-with-someone-else-i-watched-his-eyes-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b0/jeanette-winterson-166_day-by-day_when-my-husband-had-an-affair-with-someo_1822363.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b0/jeanette-winterson-166_day-by-day_when-my-husband-had-an-affair-with-someo_1822363.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b0/jeanette-winterson-166_day-by-day_when-my-husband-had-an-affair-with-someo_1822363.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When my husband had an affair with someone else I watched his eyes glaze over when we ate dinner together…” — Jeanette Winterson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jeanette Winterson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“When my husband had an affair...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/when-my-husband-had-an-affair-with-someone-else-i-watched-his-eyes-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/when-my-husband-had-an-affair-with-someone-else-i-watched-his-eyes-2/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```