My husband left me with a huge $650 bill and these heavy bags at the grocery store to hang out with his friends — my response made him regret it.

This Sunday, my husband Mike and I were at the grocery store, loading up on everything we needed for the week – a mountain of stuff. We’re at the checkout, bags nearly packed, and then Mike’s phone rings.

He tells me he’s gotta dash because his buddies are waiting for a beer and barbecue shindig. Just like that, he’s off — no money left for the huge $650 bill, no car keys, nothing.

I’m standing there, bags in hand, completely dumbfounded.

I was boiling with rage and on the verge of tears. But no way was I going to let this slide. He needed to learn, once and for all, that you can’t just treat me like that. So this brilliant idea pops into my head.

I decided to call a cab and have all the groceries delivered to his buddy’s house. I gave the cashier a knowing smile, paid the bill with my credit card, and directed the cabbie to load everything up. Then I called Mike’s buddy’s house and sweetly told him to expect a delivery.

When I got home, I didn’t even bother to call Mike. I just waited. Sure enough, within an hour, I got a call from him, furious and confused. “What the hell, Linda? Why are all the groceries here?”

I calmly replied, “Well, Mike, you left me at the store with no way to get home and no help with the bags, so I thought I’d send them to where you thought was more important to be.”

There was silence on the line, followed by a begrudging apology. But that wasn’t enough for me. I had one more part of my plan.

When he got home later that night, I was already in bed, but not asleep. I heard him fumbling around in the kitchen, no doubt putting the groceries away. He came into the bedroom, looking sheepish.

“Linda, I’m really sorry. That was a jerk move. I shouldn’t have left you like that.”

I sat up and looked him straight in the eyes. “Mike, you need to understand something. I am your wife, not your servant. You can’t just leave me with all the responsibilities because something more fun comes up. This is a partnership, and you need to start acting like it.”

He nodded, genuinely remorseful. “I get it, Linda. I promise it won’t happen again.”

And from that day forward, Mike never left me stranded again. He even started taking more initiative with our shopping and household chores. Sometimes, a little tough love is exactly what’s needed to set things right.