Couple reveals secret to their successful relationship: ‘His and Hers’ homes
A Detroit, Michigan couple says that what keeps their relationship close is that they live apart. However, the two aren’t that far because they live in separate houses, right next door to each other on the east side of town.
As reported by WJBK Fox 2, Albert Bernal, 70, and Betty Lou Shortt, 67, have been “going together for a good while now.” Shortt said, “I call him my significant other,” while Bernal said Shortt’s a, “…real good friend.”
Betty Lou got her home first and Albert said, “Then when I bought that one, I said, ‘Well this is my house now, and you stay over there. I don’t want you over here.’”
It’s something that just works for the two. Betty Lou said, “He likes his own space…and so do I.” Albert added, “The good part about it is we get along so good.”
The couple’s married neighbors, Dnise and Samuel Hill, support Betty Lou and Albert. Dnise said, “I think it’s cute. I really like it. It generates a lot of interest in the neighborhood.” In fact, the neighborhood is so aware of the couple’s arrangement that Albert explained, “I spend more time over here and some people, they always, some people drive by and they say, ‘Hey, you’re in the wrong house.’ So I said, ‘Okay well, I’ll go back over there.’”
The two homes are mirror images of each other, except Albert has outfitted his with a man cave, complete with a mini-beer fridge. Still, Albert says, “She’s welcome in my house and I’m welcome in hers.” The two spend so much time going back and forth that he said, "I was thinking of building a tunnel underneath the driveway, okay, to get from my house to hers.”
The unorthodox setup is one that some envy. Betty Lou said they tell her, “'Oh my mom wishes my dad could do that.'” Others, like the Hills, say the “his and her” setup is a little different for them. “What’s mine is hers and what’s hers is hers. So I just roll with the program. So it works for us that way,” Samuel said, laughing.
Video and more info: WJBK
