Should He Have Come Home? My Fire Scare Has Me Questioning My Husband’s Priorities
In today’s episode of Panic Button on Country 102.5, we had an intense and emotional conversation with Caroline, who faced a frightening ordeal while her husband was away on vacation. A fire broke out in her garage, leaving her shaken and scared for her family’s safety. But when she reached out to her husband, his response was far from what she expected.
Caroline’s story sparked a debate: Should her husband have dropped everything and returned home immediately, or was he right to stay on his trip since everyone was physically safe? It’s a dilemma many might face, and we want to hear your thoughts. Would you fly back, or stay put?
Jonathan: Country 102.5, it’s Jonathan and Ayla doing Panic Button. Today, we have Caroline. Hey, Caroline!
Caroline: Hi.
Jonathan: Hi! So, you have a bit of a burning issue… Sorry, was that not funny? That wasn’t good.
Caroline: No.
Ayla: She went through something so traumatic.
Jonathan: Yeah, I was just trying to make light of it.
Ayla: OK, well, tell us what happened. Give the audience a little backstory.
Jonathan: Or a lighter version of it. So, what happened, Caroline?
Caroline: Gosh, OK. So, I have three beautiful kids and a husband. My husband and I typically go on vacation separately, which is totally fine. That’s how we relax. This time, he went to Florida on a golfing trip with his buddies, which again, totally fine. But something pretty scary happened while he was away—there was a fire in our garage.
Ayla: They get the joke now.
Jonathan: Yes, yes. Yeah, I’m a horrible person. We all understand that, got it.
Caroline: Yeah…
Jonathan: Hilarious. Alright, so there was a fire in your garage. The whole garage?
Caroline: Yeah.
Jonathan: Did it spread to the house? What happened?
Caroline: One of the walls in the garage is pretty charred. Luckily, it didn’t spread, and my car wasn’t in there. But they found out it started because my husband had left some oily rags out, and they caught on fire.
Ayla: That’s scary.
Caroline: Yeah, it was.
Jonathan: OK, so it’s kind of his fault.
Caroline: Yeah, and he was gone.
Jonathan: So, you called him and read him the riot act about leaving those oily rags out?
Caroline: No, I wasn’t mad about that. I was freaked out. I was crying. I was scared. I mean, our family could have been trapped in there, and he wasn’t there. It was just scary, you know?
Jonathan: Yeah, yeah.
Caroline: So, I called him and told him about the fire.
Jonathan: And told him to come home, I’m assuming?
Ayla: Come home?
Caroline: Yeah, and he was empathetic, but when I said that, he responded, “Well, why would I come home? Everybody’s safe.”
Ayla: OK…
Caroline: And I was like, “Because we’re freaking out! Your kids are crying, I’m scared. It’s a traumatic experience, and we need you to come home and be Dad.”
Jonathan: Yeah, you know, about a year and a half ago, we had a small electrical fire in our house. We had to get out; the fire department came. It wasn’t as bad as your fire, but there was a lot of smoke, and it was really scary. We were afraid to sleep in the house after that because it just happened out of nowhere.
Ayla: Imagine if you weren’t home, though. Let’s say you were on a trip, visiting friends back in Kansas City for a bachelor party, Jonathan, and this happened. Would you fly back?
Jonathan: Right now, I’d be…
Ayla: Or would you stay with your friend? Because that’s kind of what this situation is for.
Jonathan: I would fly back. I’m curious to see what the audience thinks, though, because I would fly back. But that’s just who I am. I’d be a nervous wreck, worried about how everyone is doing. I can’t be comfortable if they’re upset, but that’s just me—I’m an anxious, nervous wreck all the time anyway.
Ayla: But your kids are safe, Katie’s safe, everyone is safe. Some people might think, “Well, the flight to get back would probably cost a thousand bucks at the last minute, and everyone is safe.” So, yeah, I’m curious what people will say too.
Jonathan: Yeah, right. Alright, call in at 888-819-1025. So, here’s the issue: Caroline’s husband left some oily rags in the garage, and they caused a fire. It wasn’t a huge fire, but it was scary. She called him while he was on vacation to tell him about it, and he was like, “Oh my God, that sucks, but I’m not coming back. You guys are fine.” Should he have dropped everything and flown back to be with his family after a traumatic incident like this? You tell us: 888-819-1025. Caroline, thank you so much.
Caroline: Thank you.
