Article #77 : The Third Wheel

How many of you heard the phrase, “Two’s company, three’s a crowd”? Well, the third wheel on a vehicle where only two are needed is redundant and out of place. But what will happen if a third wheel tries to forcibly get into a vehicle? Let me share the answer with the help of a story based on real life incidents. 

Once upon a time in one of the popular cities of India, there used to be a newly married couple. Both, husband and wife were IT professionals, all thanks to the corona and lockdown, in just one year of their marriage, they were blessed with WFH. But I like your imagination. The wife’s mother or the husband’s mother-in-law was a single lady at home. Since she was free all day, she used to be curious to know what was happening in her daughter’s life. By this time, you would have understood the lead role in our story, it was neither the husband nor the wife, but the wife’s mother or the husband’s mother-in-law. To avoid confusion, let me call our lead - the third wheel.

Early in the morning, the third wheel calls her daughter, “Hey what’s up? What is your husband doing?”

“Mom, he is checking his phone.”

“Oh, what is he checking in his phone?”

“I think Facebook, no Instagram it seems.”

“Ask him to catch a broomstick instead of checking Instagram. You were brought up in a mollycoddle way, how could you do the household chores?”

The husband gets shocked after hearing the same statement from his wife for the first time in a year.

The next day, the third wheel again calls her daughter.

“Hey, I forgot to ask you, what did he buy you this month?”

“Nothing mom. He bought only mats in the house”

“Are mats more important than you? You have to demand him for some gifts every month”

“But what if he says that I am also earning?”

“So? Don’t you have to visit the beauty parlor? Don’t you have to buy your high heels?”

“Yeah, even I have to get the hair straightening done”

“Then? Let me tell you a secret, whatever you earn is completely yours. And whatever he earns is also yours. That is the culture of our family”

“But Mom, Don't we have to follow the culture of our in-laws after marriage?”

“No, That happens only in our daily serials like kyunki saas bhi kabhi bahu thi, kahani Ghar ghar ki, etc. But it is vice versa in real life ”

The wife gets fully influenced with the words of her mother and starts demanding her husband for some gifts every month.

The husband gets frustrated with the senseless demands of his wife and this time, they end up having a fight in the house.

As the time passes by, the third wheel keeps calling her daughter every now and then to acquire the information and add her own theory to it.

One fine day, a pooja ceremony takes place in the house and most of their relatives were called. The third wheel starts talking confidently about so many things happening in the house. During some conversations, she even says,

“My son-in-law is an Instagrammer. Every morning at 9 AM, he checks the Instagram”

“Do you guys know that these mats were bought recently and that too at a low price?”

“You know what my son-in-law brings most of the times to the house? It’s Samosa”

“You know what my daughter calls her husband, baby”

It ends up as an embarrassing moment for the husband and he gets upset. Both the husband and wife get into a fight again over the comments made by the third wheel. The trouble starts in the paradise.

The next day during the call, the third wheel says,

“Oh, my daughter you are so innocent. You have to Mould your husband in such a way that he salutes every time he comes across you”

“Mom, but our tradition says a wife has to seek her husband’s blessings by touching his feet since he is elder to me”

“Oh no, I wouldn't have allowed you to watch a lot of Ekta Kapoor's soap Operas. They were only dramas my dear, no where related to life. Just imagine, your husband saluting you everyday and obeying all your orders”

This conversation adds insult to the injury in the house. The wife’s controlling behavior along with her demands creates an unpeaceful environment in the house. The third wheel pulls her daughter from the house citing the reason that their demands are not getting fulfilled. They file a false compliant against the husband and demand for alimony. Ultimately, it led to the divorce of the couple.

Just like how a vehicle where only two wheels are required, loses its balance with the entry of a third wheel, similarly any relationship especially like a marriage can also lose its balance and even lead to a break-up with the involvement of a third person. So, it all depends on the existing two wheels in a vehicle or the existing two people in a relationship to bypass the hiccups, maintain the balance and move forward rather than giving space for a third wheel or a third person. A penny for your thoughts.