My husband received a disturbing phone call about an hour ago.

[Left Is Write]

The call came from the wife half of a couple we are good friends with. She was upset about something, and she told my husband that her husband was having some "issues." She would not elaborate on what these issues were, only saying that he wouldn't talk to her about it and that he asked her to call my husband.

Mr. LiW said he'd be over as soon as he could and went up to change clothes. He was worried enough that he left half of his supper.

While he was upstairs changing, she called back. She asked me to tell Mr. LiW to meet them at a restaurant downtown, as they didn't want their children around for whatever the conversation was going to be. She thanked me profusely for "letting" him come out, and I told her I hoped everything would be okay. She said she thought it would, but then she started crying.

I have NO idea what's going on. Mr. LiW said he would excuse himself to the bathroom at the earliest possibility and call me to fill me in.

Needless to say, I am very worried about our friends. I would have gone along, but my older daughter is working, and I have no one to watch the younger two.

[WindRavenX]

1. Did she sound angry, or more worried?

Very odd...

[Left Is Write]

8. She sounded okay, then optimistic, then worried.

I don't know what to think.

My first thought was that he was suicidal, then I rejected that (that's always my first thought in such a crisis, because my ex was often like that). My next thought was divorce. I don't know. I really just don't know.

[mac56]

2. Deep breaths. Try not to obsess.

Perhaps they're being a little over dramatic without intending to.

[Left Is Write]

11. I hope you're right.

I'm having a glass of wine right now and waiting for the phone to ring.

But you're right. It will do me no good to get all wound up when I really don't know anything.

[WCGreen]

3. What does Mr. LiW do for a living....

That could probably clue you in...

[Left Is Write]

13. He's an account executive for a health plan.

In fact, our friend is one of my husband's brokers. That's how they met.

[bigwillq]

4. Question answered

I didn't see the last line.
I hope everything works out for your friends. Please let us know how it turns out if you can. :hug:

edit: I had a question as to why the wife didn't want to confide in you. But then I saw the last line of your thread.

[Left Is Write]

7. No, we're all good friends.

But apparently there is something troubling her husband, and he didn't even want to discuss it with her.

As I said, I'd have gone along with my husband, but I have no babysitter. And thank you for the hug. :hug:

[Tallison]

5. Is your husband a lawyer?

Reminds me of that scene from Fatal Attraction where Michael Douglas breaks down and confesses the affair to his best friend lawyer because Glenn Close has him up shit's creek.

[Left Is Write]

12. No.

No, he's not a lawyer.

[prolesunited]

6. Alcohol, drugs, gambling, abuse

are what come to my mind. Could any of those apply? Do you feel your husband is safe?

[Tallison]

9. His safety is what came to my mind

first after reading this.

[Doctor_J]

10. If it were one of those

Mr. LiW wouldn't be meeting with BOTH, I dare say.

[Left Is Write]

14. I'm not worried about my husband's safety.

Gambling? That's a possibility, I suppose. I hadn't thought of that.

[Metta]

15. Keep us posted.

I, for one, would like to know what's up.

[Left Is Write]

19. I still haven't heard...

I'm trying to take that as a good thing, and that no one is in imminent physical danger.

[southlandshari]

16. Big hug, darlin'!

I would say it is a reflection on the kind of people you and your husband are that friends would feel comfortable talking with one or both of you about serious life problems.

Let us know what happens, ok?

:hug:

[Left Is Write]

18. Thank you...

and I will. :hug:

[Oeditpus Rex]

17. My guess would be it's something financial

i.e. he wants to borrow some money because of a bad business deal or something. That's the only thing I can think of that'd prompt both of them to want to meet with your husband.

Whatever the case, I hope it turns out well. :hug:

[Left Is Write]

20. Thanks.

I'm hoping it's all okay too. I have no idea how long he'll be gone, but I'm staying up until he gets home.

[CanuckAmok]

21. I'm betting "affair".

...

[La Lioness Priyanka]

22. me too

generally is

[Left Is Write]

24. I hope not.

I really hope not.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

70. No point worrying...

Wish I could be there to help you think about something else for awhile... :hug:

[crispini]

23. The husband is gay.

That's my bet.

[Left Is Write]

That one would be incredibly surprising to me.

[BlueIris]

25. Have you ever known the husband to have mental health problems?

Obviously, none of us have any more of an idea than you do, that is just the weird sense that I'm getting.

[Left Is Write]

27. No, I haven't.

That doesn't mean there aren't any, though.

[BlueIris]

30. Sometimes people use the term "issues" when they're uncomfortable

using a more specific term for a mental, emotional or psychological disorder. You would know better than I would, of course, whether this couple--who do appear to have been keeping these concerns under wraps from you two--would prefer to use the ubiquitous, vague "issues" as opposed to...whatever he's going through, mental health or otherwise.

It's good that you and your husband are so supportive of your friends.

[antigone382]

26. I hope everything works out well.

And I hope there's a way that your husband can be of some help to them...

[Left Is Write]

28. Thank you. I hope so too.

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

29. whoa

I hope everything turns out to be ok for your friends. :hug:

but fill us in ;)

[Left Is Write]

31. Thanks...

:hug:

[devilgrrl]

32. What if he's seriously ill or something?

:scared:

[Left Is Write]

33. I don't know.

I don't think it would be something like that, but I really don't know.

[Name removed]

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[GetTheRightVote]

39. I hope what ever it is that .........

your husband is able to help your friends get around it and that their tomorrows will be blessed for them as well as you.

:kick:

[Dangerously Amused]

40. My guess:

He just told the wife that he "isn't sure" he wants to be married anymore. That he's depressed. He doesn't want to tell her that he's having an affair. She, on the other hand, didn't want him going out alone to the restaurant if he's "depressed." So she went along. But she suspects it is more than just depression.

[Tallison]

41. Thinking of you

as I was putting away laundry upstairs. That's it. :hug:

[Wapsie B]

42. I hope everything comes out ok.

Please tell us when you know.

[bliss_eternal]

43. I'm just seeing this...

:hug:

Did your dh get back home safely? I'm hoping so...

Hope your friends are alright, too. :grouphug:

[RedCloud]

44. Could be the collapse of their AmWay pyramid...

That's my guess.

[WCGreen]

46. I thought about that too....

[Left Is Write]

60. Why would you say that?

What have I said that would lead you to believe he was involved in any kind of pyramid scheme?

[LoZoccolo]

69. Nothing, that's why we'd wonder.

The mind has a tendency to fill in the blanks into the unknown, drawing from our own experiences. Sometimes when people act unusual, it's because of something involving multi-level marketing. Someone from work asked me once what I've been doing in my free time who never really was interested before and that's one of the first things I thought, that he was going to try to get me into some multi-level marketing scheme in my free time. Plus there's this woman at work who'll do things like see you eating a protein bar and give you a free sample of an Amway one to try to get you into buying them from her. I take the free samples and still don't buy them! Hey, they were supposed to be free, right? No strings attached?

[AussieDave]

45. I've been lurking and following this all day

and I'm eaten up with curiosity as to how it will all turn out - I'm hoping it's nothing bad but by the sounds of it it IS bad - for your friends.

Fingers crossed that it comes to a happy resolution and your mind eases.

[Shell Beau]

47. I hope all is well!! Keep us updated.

Your husband sounds like a good friend to have around. :hug:

[Flaxbee]

48. so, what happened?

Everyone OK?

[LoZoccolo]

49. This sounds like a cult thing, only he's the only member of the cult.

My guess is that Mr. Issues had some sort of paranoid delusion he wants to talk about and get Mr. LiW involved in to "enlighten" him, but is afraid of sounding really crazy on the phone because that would prevent a meeting, so Mr. Issues wanted to the wife to call and get Mr. LiW out somewhere where it wouldn't be as easy to leave if he sounded completely crazy.

Either that or it's about something sexual or running out of money, or maybe about multi-level marketing.

You have to take my prognostications with a grain of salt, though, because just about every time I can't reach someone for a few days when I expect to be able to, I start thinking that they went crazy over a member of the opposite sex and have been hanging out with them for days, going back home only to change clothes or something. Like other people think it's a car crash; I think it's this just about every time.

[Lindsey]

50. So what happened? n/t

[LoZoccolo]

54. Probably something really fucked-up since we haven't heard back.

Hate to say it, but I don't think we'll find out.

[Left Is Write]

57. No, it was NOT something fucked up.

I went to bed last night, and was out all morning on a field trip with my son's school. When I got home at noon, the internet was down, then I left again for a dentist appointment.

Give a person more than a few hours before you decide you "haven't heard back." Thanks.

[LoZoccolo]

63. I have an overactive imagination.

I was afraid that not only would the cult theory turn out to be true, but that you would join the cult too and take a few months to figure out how to get new recruits for the cult from here without saying something that would turn people away, and how to indoctrinate the children (that's why they wouldn't want them to know right away, so they could come up with indoctrination techniques).

Glad to hear it was nothing even close to that, though.

[nickinSTL]

51. kicking for those who want to know how things went

:kick:

[In_The_Wind]

52. Thank You!

[bigwillq]

53. I am interested in finding out

what happens. I hope you share LiW, if you can. :hi:

[barb162]

55. WHAT HAPPENED?

[gollygee]

56. How freaky

any idea why they wanted to talk to your husband? I think maybe an affair based on a similar conversation I had with a woman whose husband was having an affair. She called it "an issue" he was dealing with.

[Left Is Write]

58. UPDATE for those interested....

Our friend has been under a lot of stress lately with his agency, and he recently had lost a very large account to another agency. He's been working long days, not eating well, not sleeping. Apparently last night, he was ready to chuck it all and walk away from his business (which he built himself).

My husband talked him down from the proverbial ledge, and they talked about ways to fix what's wrong, one step at a time. I think everyone felt more positive afterward. I hope things will improve for them.

Thanks for being there when I was worried. I'm very, very grateful it wasn't something more awful.

[In_The_Wind]

59. I'm glad your husband was able to do some real good!

to Mr. Left Is Write !

[Ellen Forradalom]

61. Whew

Indeed.

I know that feeling. Believe me.

[gollygee]

62. Oh well that isn't awful

it's a lot of pressure though and it's good your husband was able to help him.

I hope your friend starts feeling better about his work.

[bigwillq]

64. Not good news but not as bad

as I thought it was going to be.
I'm glad this is a situation that can probably be fixed.
I think he needs a vacation.
Thanks for the update. :hi:

[miss_kitty]

65. Sometimes that's just what people who are in trouble need

An understanding person who can be there and listen and help them problem solve. I hope everything works out for your friends, that in a short while what happened will be a blip in the rearview mirror.

It sounds as though your friends are lucky to be able to count you and your husband as pals.

And I'm glad it wasn't LoZoccolo's cult thing. Or worse, a need for an Oasis intervention!

[crispini]

66. Oh, yay, much better than one would have thought.

Good! :thumbsup:

[libodem]

67. That's nice he could help

so much of a mans identity is tied up with how they make a living...what a lot of pressure....both of you sound very supportive and kind....p/s we still need to go have coffee or a visit someday...the summer went very fast....

[Left Is Write]

73. Yes, we do, and yes, it did!

Do you still have my number?

[AussieDave]

68. Well as serious as that is, I'm glad it wasn't worse

and your friends are fortunate that they have you and your husband there to help. The old saying "darkest before the dawn" certainly applies here.

Good wishes to them and to you.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

71. I'm so glad to hear that!

I hope things work out for them. You must be really special friends for them to trust you like that. :hug:

[thinkingwoman]

72. Speaking as someone who recently chucked it all

and walked away from a business...friends are what get you through something like that, whether the business succeeds or fails.

It can be terrifying.

Best of luck to all.