Title sounds bad but hear me out.

I work as a lobster fisherman. I’m away from home for months at a time, and then come back for 4-6 weeks to spend time with my roommate and kids.

With the Christmas season approaching, I’m scheduled to get off on December 22nd. My captain just approached me and said that they are short on men for one more tour and he wants me to stay on for another week. It pays time and a half, which would be $700 a day, much more than all of my friends earn.

I could really use the money so I told him I would do it. My roommate is upset with me, because she wants me to come home and spend time with her and my kids. From my perspective, I could really use the money for bills, and Christmas is just a day on the calendar. We can celebrate at the end of the month when I get home.

Also I recently bought a meat slicer for $200.

So Reddit, AITA?

Edit: Answering a few of the common questions:

Roommate is the mother of my children and also my girlfriend, but we are not in love.

Meat slicer is relevant because of the additional financial strain. I’m the primary user of the meat slicer when I’m home but she has full use of it while I’m away.

Edit 2: I’m getting a lot of questions about the meat slicer. When you buy ribeye pre-sliced there’s a 50 cent premium per slice, relative to buying a full ribeye and slicing your own. So assuming you have 3-4 ribeyes a week it pays for itself in just over 2 years.

  • Leon_Grotsky [comrade/them]
    ·
    4 years ago

    NTA, your children need to learn at a very young age how cold and heartless the world is, plus if dad comes home for christmas how are we going to turn this story into a Hallmark film?

    Work up, lawyer out, dump your children, and put your roommate up for adoption.

  • TossedAccount [he/him]
    1·
    4 years ago

    Roommate is the mother of my children and also my girlfriend, but we are not in love.

    This could only be a reddit post. Those poor bastards are completely socially alienated and atomized from even the people closest to them.

  • johnnycastaway [any]
    ·
    4 years ago

    NTA, those ribeyes ain't gonna slice themselves.

    Also, remind your young child of how you're keeping them and your roommate flush with lobster rolls.

  • longhorn617 [any]
    ·
    4 years ago

    NTA, there is no better way to grow large sons than feeding them a diet of sliced ribeye and corn syrup.

  • Pol_Pan [he/him,they/them]
    ·
    4 years ago

    NTA, if your family can’t appreciate the incredible value of an industrial meat slicer they’re not worth your time.

  • Zuzak [fae/faer, she/her]
    ·
    4 years ago

    NTA, each day you spend working you can make enough to buy 3.5 additional meat slicers, which you can give to your roommate and kids to make up for any hurt feelings.

  • LoMeinTenants [any]
    ·
    4 years ago

    At the next holiday gathering, bring the meat slicer out to the family table and stick your dick in it. Threaten no more children but treat yoself to a bris anyway. You'll save 50 cents over a trip to the doc to have them do it for you. Makes a great bread spread.