A Husband for My Wife

In Short

This story is a quintessential mid-century science fiction romp that blends the domestic bitterness of a romantic comedy with the imaginative spark of early time-travel tropes. It follows Bull Benton, a man obsessed with outmaneuvering his childhood friend, the brilliant but beleaguered Professor Thurlow Benjamin. When the professor perfects a device to escape his unhappy marriage and his legal troubles, Bull realizes he can use the physics of time displacement to orchestrate a final, calculated revenge. It remains a sharp, cynical look at pride and the predictable traps of human ego.

The Story

The rivalry between Bull Benton and Thurlow "Benji" Benjamin begins in childhood and persists through their university years, centering on the pursuit of Vera Milston, the Dean’s daughter. Bull initially wins her hand, but after a series of misunderstandings and a stint in the Army, he returns to find Benji has married her. Bull settles for a life of mocking the couple, finding satisfaction in watching the henpecked Benji suffer under Vera’s tyrannical control.

The turning point occurs when Benji builds a time machine in his home laboratory. He uses it to escape his life, briefly running off with a woman named Daisy and committing various petty crimes that lead to a police chase. When Benji returns to his home in a panic, he attempts to use his machine to jump five years into the future to avoid the law. During the chaos of a police raid, Benji and Daisy successfully vanish into the time stream. In the confusion, Bull finds himself left behind, comfortingly—and impulsively—embracing a distraught Vera.

This singular moment of weakness traps Bull in the marriage he once ridiculed. For five years, he plays the part of the "cringing and servile" husband, all while harboring a secret plan. He knows the physics of Benji’s machine: it requires significant electrical power to function. Bull assumes control of the house, removes all electrical lines, and waits for the five-year anniversary of the escape.

As the anniversary arrives, Bull hosts a celebratory breakfast party, inviting the same police officers who once hunted Benji. He knows that, precisely five years after their departure, the time machine will deposit Benji and Daisy back into the room. Because Bull has cut the house’s power, the machine will be unable to restart, trapping the travelers in the present. Bull eagerly anticipates the moment Benji materializes, only to face the full, unbridled wrath of Vera and the waiting authorities.

How It Unfolds

The bitter rivalry Bull and Benji, lifelong academic and athletic competitors, define their existence through mutual resentment. Their conflict centers on Vera Milston, a woman who eventually marries Benji, leaving Bull to nurse his wounded pride by watching Benji’s misery.

A breakthrough in physics Benji constructs a time-traveling device in the basement of his home, hoping to escape his domestic life. Bull discovers the machine, realizing that Benji has been using it to lead a double life, including a reckless romp with a woman named Daisy.

The chaotic escape Benji and Daisy flee from the police in a stolen patrol car, eventually returning home only to jump away in the machine. In the ensuing pandemonium, Bull impulsively attempts to comfort Vera, inadvertently taking Benji's place as her husband.

The long wait Bull lives for five years as a suppressed, unhappy husband, secretly preparing a trap. He removes the electrical power from the study to ensure that when Benji returns, he will be unable to flee again.

The final reckoning On the five-year anniversary, Bull hosts a breakfast party with the police in attendance. He waits for the machine to reappear, knowing the lack of power will leave Benji helpless before the law and his furious wife.

The People

Bull Benton is the narrator, a man defined by a petty, long-burning desire for victory over his friend. He believes he is the clever one, yet he accidentally ruins his own life by marrying Vera, proving his own shortsightedness.

Professor Thurlow Benjamin, or "Benji," is a "scientifically sneaky" intellectual who is desperate to escape his domestic prison. He is a coward by nature, using technology to run from his problems rather than solving them.

Vera Milston is the "statuesque" and "regal" daughter of a dean, possessing a sharp, domineering personality that makes her a formidable, almost terrifying figure. She is the anchor that holds both men in their respective miseries.

Daisy Hanzel, later known as Starlight Glowe, is a vibrant, impulsive woman who serves as the catalyst for the story's chaos. She is the opposite of Vera, representing the fun and freedom that Benji desperately chases.

In Its Own Voice

"Any minute now time is about to run out on him!"

The narrator sets the stage for his elaborate revenge against his former friend.

"He looked awful--but with a hint of satisfaction too, like remembering the time he'd had getting into such lousy shape."

Bull observes Benji’s disheveled state after a time-traveling excursion.

"I am Vera's husband, sitting by the light of a kerosene lamp in Dean Milston's old study, which had been Benji's lab, writing."

The narrator reflects on the trap he walked into five years prior.

What It's Really About

The story functions as a grim parody of the "happily ever after" trope, suggesting that spite is a self-defeating engine. The central irony is that Bull, in his attempt to enjoy Benji’s downfall, becomes the very thing he pitied. It poses the question of whether a life defined by competition is worth living at all. When the characters gain the ability to manipulate time, they do not use it for wisdom or growth; they use it to avoid responsibility and settle petty scores. The "time machine" is merely a metaphor for the way human beings refuse to move on, choosing instead to cycle through the same failures and resentments until they are finally stopped by the reality of their consequences.

Why Read It Today

This story will appeal to readers who enjoy dark, sardonic humor and the "small town" atmosphere of mid-century science fiction. The prose is punchy and unapologetically masculine, reflecting the era’s tone with a direct, conversational style that draws you into the narrator’s mindset immediately.

What lingers after reading is the sheer, suffocating irony of Bull’s situation. He is a villainous protagonist who thinks he is the hero, and his transition from a cocky observer to a "cringing and servile" husband is both darkly funny and genuinely pathetic. The story is quite brief, making it a perfect, fast-paced read for those who want a complete narrative arc in a single sitting. However, readers should be prepared for the period-specific gender dynamics; the characters view their relationships through a lens of ownership and power struggles that feel very much rooted in the mid-1900s. It is a cynical, sharp-edged story that rewards those who enjoy seeing a character’s elaborate plans for revenge slowly turn into their own personal prison. It is not a tale of grand cosmic discovery, but a small, mean, and perfectly constructed comedy of errors.