A closet conundrum

Yesterday evening Wagner was showing my hubby, Jonathan, and I around the work site. We were looking at the part of the addition where one of the walk-in closets was going to be situated, and he asked "Oh, by the way, do you want a window in your closet? We could re-use one of the kitchen windows we're having to take out."

My immediate reaction was to look at Wagner in disbelief and think "are you kidding?" Why on earth would anyone want a window in their closet?!? After all, much of the time when you're going into a closet, you either have pajamas or a robe on or no clothes at all. The last thing I want when I am fumbling around for my clothes at 6:00 a.m. is to have to remember to close the drapes.

So all of that was going through my head as I shook my head confidently and said "No way." Unfortunately, at the exact same moment, Jonathan was saying thoughtfully, "Yeah, I'd like a window." Then it was my turn to look at him in disbelief. I went through all the logical arguments as to why a window in one's closet was unnecessary, nay, undesirable. I also pointed out how a window would simply take up valuable space one could use for hanging clothes.

"So what?" he replied. "We can just use that wall for putting our shoes on a rack underneath the window." Then he got a calculating gleam in his eye and said, "And anyway, isn't that going to be MY closet? Why do you care?"

He had me there. Our plans call for two walk-in closets: one off the bedroom itself, and the other at the rear of the bathroom. The one off the bedroom is the one that Wagner proposed adding a window to, and it's the larger of the two closets. But it's also the one we had earmarked for Jon. This is because I get up earlier than he does, to shower before waking the kids up and fixing them breakfast. So I thought it made more sense for me to take the closet off the bathroom. That way when I wake up, I can tiptoe into the bathroom, close the door, turn on the lights, shower, and get dressed without bothering Jonathan, who can remain content and undisturbed in blissful slumber until I bring him his first cup of coffee, which he drinks sitting up in bed in the darkness. I'm such a good wife. ;-)

So then I informed him that, because of my sacrifice in taking the smaller closet off the bathroom for the sole purpose of allowing him to remain content and undisturbed in blissful slumber, I had sort of been planning all along to put some of my clothes I don't use often (fancy party dresses and the like) in his closet, given that he is a male and therefore *ahem* obviously has less need for closet space. Putting a window in the closet would thus cut into the amount of space that I had intended to nab.

Jon then said, "Oh, you were, were you?"

At this point Wagner looked vaguely alarmed and said "Uh-oh. I shouldn't have asked about the window."

But, using the superior negotiating skills we have developed with great success throughout the 14 years of our marriage, we were able to arrive at a workable compromise, to wit: Jon got his way. I realized that the two new closets would be more than enough room for our clothes, even with a window, and because Jon has been exceedingly agreeable to every decision I've made so far (and there have been a ton of them), it only made sense to be agreeable on the rare occasions he voices an opinion. So, if it's a window in his closet he wants, a window he will get.

Besides, we'll still have that absolutely huge master closet in our current bedroom where I can leave stuff if I need more space. ;-)