Teacher's Day Flowers

On Teacher's Day, my wife, Hera, was promoted to associate professor.

Even for our marriage we simply registered without a proper ceremony, yet this time, she specifically prepared a feast at home to celebrate.

During the dinner, she took out the flowers a male student had given her and was about to put them in a vase.

Without warning, I knocked the flowers out of her hand, flipped over the vase, and, under the bewildered gazes of the whole family, calmly said, "Let's get a divorce."

Hera was stunned at first, then angrily snapped, "Stanley Lawson, what's gotten into you? I’m just putting some flowers my student gave me in a vase. What's the big deal?"

My mother-in-law, Sarah Swift, chimed in, "Hera just got promoted to associate professor, and it's Teacher's Day. What's wrong with a student giving her flowers? Are you seriously getting jealous over that?"

I glanced at the scattered petals on the floor and slowly said, "Yes, it's because of these flowers that I want a divorce."

The atmosphere at the table instantly turned cold.

My father-in-law, Peter Swift, looked sullen, my mother-in-law's hand froze in mid-air, and my parents stared at me in shock, clearly bewildered.

My mother was the first to react. She grabbed my hand and said, "Stanley, don't make a scene. Today is an important day for Hera."

Hera's expression changed from bewilderment to rage.

The fire in her eyes seemed ready to burn me to ashes. "Say that again?"

I repeated it, my voice not loud, but clearly reaching the ears of everyone present, "I said, I want a divorce."

My mother-in-law, Sarah, slammed her fork down on the table with a loud clatter. She pointed at my face as she spat out her words.

"Stanley, are you out of your mind? Do you know what day it is today?! It's the day Hera gets promoted to associate professor! It's a glorious occasion! Why are you spoiling the mood? What is your problem? My daughter works so hard on her research for this promotion, and she can't even receive a bouquet of flowers?"

I didn't look at her. My gaze was fixed firmly on Hera.

Her beautiful face was filled with incredulous anger. "Over a bouquet of flowers? Seriously? Stanley, has jealousy made your heart so twisted? I was just putting some flowers my student gave me in a vase. Is that really a reason to act like this?"

My father banged the table and glared at Hera with a silent authority. "Keep it down."

Hera glanced at my father, took a deep breath to suppress her anger, and put on a heartbroken expression.

First, she patted Sarah's hand reassuringly, then turned to my parents and apologized.

"Bruce, Candice, I'm sorry. Stanley must be under much pressure at work lately, so his emotions are unstable. Please don't think too harshly of him. I'll have a talk with him."

She tried to reach for me, but I sidestepped her.

Hera looked sincerely