Here's A Shock for Women

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Dennis Gavin, 47, whose wife, Eva Sage-Gavin, 44, is an SVP at Sun, will never forget the knock on his door shortly after they moved to Orange County, Calif. The Welcome Wagon lady wanted to speak to the woman of the house. "Well, you're looking at him," said Gavin, the self-appointed "trailing spouse," who has handled every detail of the couple's six moves and at the time was home with their newborn. "No, seriously," she replied. (Gavin is now back at work managing a law firm.) "No, seriously" is the common comeback to these unconventional husbands. Everywhere they go, they encounter disbelief, confusion, and wariness. "Are you disabled?" "Are you retired?" people constantly wonder. Anne Garnick, a sales VP at Schwab whose husband stays home with their two daughters, tells about the time another mother rushed up to greet her, saying, "I'm so glad to meet you. I thought you had passed away."