The Scarlet Sandwich Board
The other day a funny thing happened on my drive through a busy intersection near my home. A young man was standing on the corner with a large sign hanging down almost to his shins that said; “I CHEATED. THIS IS MY PUNISHMENT.” As you can imagine, a bit of a crowd had already gathered, and, of course, the media were amassing with their cameras and mikes. At first, I couldn’t help but think it was a joke (maybe filming for a reality show?) However, as I watched, I realized it was probably more than that. Later that evening, all the channels were carrying the piece. Apparently, the man (who I won’t name here) left evidence on his cell phone that he was cheating, and his wife discovered it. They had a rather heated discussion during which he said something like; “What do you want me to do? I will do anything.” The sign was what she came up with, and apparently, she was the one who carefully and clearly wrote out its message…
The first thing that occurred to me is that this guy really, really, really wants to save his marriage. Upon that realization, I then thought, “Why would he cheat on a woman he clearly did not want to loose”? The answer to that is for another blog. I also thought about why his wife would choose a very public airing of his infidelity, which could also expose her to public humiliation. Finally, I again wondered if there was more to this than meets the eye.
In a world where folks become contestants on reality shows with the hope of being “discovered,” I couldn’t help wondering if this was a stunt with a similar intention behind it. I haven’t yet made up my mind about that one- am waiting for the follow-up pieces, if there are any. After all, the story was picked up by local and national media- and I am sure has been aired in other countries as well. For sure it has made it to You Tube, and therefore, the world. Whether his intention was to become famous or not- this guy is certainly getting his 15 minutes of infamy.
Back to his wife…what was she thinking? Maybe to her this was the ultimate test of his true feelings for her, and the extent to which he would go to prove them to her. Once trust is damaged, it can take a long time to get it back- if ever. Perhaps she did not want to waste that time, and decided to roll the dice- and go for all or nothing. Or, perhaps the famous line from “The Mourning Bride” by William Congreve offers the best explanation here. “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” After what I witnessed, I’d say he was right on.
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