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Miner’s Mistress Won’t Share Reward Money
Johnny Barrios with his girlfriend Susana
A rescue reward is being paid to each of the miners rescued in the Chilean mine. One of the miners, Johnny Barrios, had two women waiting for him at Camp Hope at the top of the mine: his wife, and his long-time secret mistress.
After some negotiation, the three have apparently decided that his mistress won’t receive a share of the reward money.
At first glance that seems obvious: they’re not married. Usually, you share your finances with your spouse, even if you’re also sharing your bed with other lovers (secretly or openly). On the other hand, both women left their lives and jobs to wait and hope for his safe return. Both clearly love him and are committed to their relationships with him.
Surely, his mistress incurred some costs, and certainly sustained emotional pain and suffering. In many ways, she seems as qualified to receive compensation for the disaster as his wife does.
That’s the risk mistresses take: their relationships are in the shadows, meaning they have no claim on their lovers’ fortunes. When there are kids involved, things get even more complicated. Can they expect their lover to support their child? What if he dies? Will the kid get survivor benefits? Be acknowledged by the rest of the family?
In this very public case, I’d hoped to see the women reconcile and stay focused on what matters most: getting their man back alive and bringing him back to health. It sounds like there’s been ongoing drama between them instead. But the news report said they talked over the settlement of the reward money. Maybe that’s a sign that they’re ready to start talking about how the three of them will share their lives going forward.
[Update: Famecrawler reports that some women may have claimed to be miners' mistresses just to get a piece of the reward money. Ew.]
Photo: Chilean Government
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0 Comments
goddess commented on Oct 14 10 at 1:59 pmTough. She had no business being there and she doesn’t get the perks of being a real wife. She is entitled to squat.
Marie-Eve commented on Oct 14 10 at 2:02 pmActually, he didn’t have two women waiting for him, only the mistress. The wife let it known that because of the other woman she had never heard of before, she wouldn’t be there.
Sheri commented on Oct 14 10 at 2:06 pmThe miners were each allowed to select 1-3 individuals to reunite with immediately after their arrival at the surface. This bozo actually put his wife AND mistress on his list. His wife refused to meet him (she said she would be waiting at home) when she learned that he thought both women would share this moment. Who can blame her?
bob commented on Oct 14 10 at 2:20 pmWho can parlay this thing to the best advantage, the foreman or the philanderer? If this was the U.S., I’d bet on the philanderer.
Ailen commented on Oct 14 10 at 2:23 pmMaaan, if I was his wife, I would have been waiting for him outside the mine. SO THAT I COULD HIT HIM UPSIDE THE HEAD! I don’t think these two women should reconcile or work together to nurse a cheater back to health. I’m sorry.
Bethany commented on Oct 14 10 at 2:26 pmI understand your viewpoint, Sierra, because those are your values. But it’s not fair to expect this wife — this long-married, assumingly monogamous wife — to suddenly change her own values and be expected to share her life with this other woman. That’s not drama — that’s pain and betrayal. Being trapped under ground doesn’t suddenly make him a saint. This was not an open marriage; he broke his vows. And it’s her right to be pissed off about that. I feel for the mistress, too, but I don’t expect the wife to have any sympathy for her.
Huh? commented on Oct 14 10 at 2:29 pmAlrighty Sierra. What’s up with the doe-eyed breathless reportage here? The only thing missing is a dramatic flop on a fainting couch and a dainty brow dab with a hankie. “…how the three of them will share their lives going forward”? Dude had an affair. Maybe with the knowledge of his wife (given Chile’s just recently allowed this thing called “divorce”)and maybe not. Maybe he’s a straight up dick. Not every single aspect of this story needs to be a shining example of hunman strength. I get that an angle was needed to re-hash the story and include it here, but maybe work a little harder next time. *Snarky me OUT*
Tiffany commented on Oct 14 10 at 2:38 pmI am so shocked Sierra that you expect the wife to just be ok with it. This wasn’t a fling, this was a 10 year affair. Then there’s the fact that not only did she have to find out while she and her family were going through a very difficult time, but when she found out so did the rest of the world. Would you really want to be publicly humiliated like that and have your life be the on the front page, I would think not. I have no sympathy for the mistress. I hold the vows of marriage to be sacred and am really disappointed that there are so many people willing to just accept this kind of lifestyle.
Laure68 commented on Oct 14 10 at 2:51 pmI had to read this a few times to make sure I was not misunderstanding you. No, the mistress does not deserve anything. This was not an open relationship. As far as I understand from the article, the wife did not know about the mistress. Now you are talking about the three of them sharing their lives together? Are you serious? I have no problem with multiple partners as long as everyone is in agreement. This was done behind the wife’s back. It is completely inappropriate to expect the wife to accept this woman into their family.
The husband is of course the one most at fault, and they need to figure out what they are going to do going forward, but you really seem to think they will all three live happily ever after.
Harriet03 commented on Oct 14 10 at 3:08 pmI had to read this more than once, too, like Laure68. I completely disagree with the blog’s thoughts. Wife and mistress DO NOT belong in the same place unless they (bizarrely) would have agreed to that open marriage. The very idea that it could be suggested that they all just get along is unusual to say the least. I thought how weird it would be if both women were there at the site, waiting for him to come up. Who should he kiss first? Should he kiss them both at the same time? And the wife should want to be photographed in this situation?? I just can’t imagine it all going down that way. The wife did the absolutely right thing for her and for her family. Leaving the topics of adulter, dishonesty, and immorality aside, it would be too weird any other way.
Bonnie commented on Oct 14 10 at 3:17 pmComments You can tell by Johnny’s body language that he did not want his mistress there. I hope that he reconciles with his wife and they get back together. The mistress was out of line.
julia commented on Oct 14 10 at 3:52 pmComments I thought the news said has separated from his wife for several years and has lived with the mistress full time. Also he is the person who “invited” both mistress and wife to be there. That means he is forcing the wife to accept the mistress whom he has beenliving together for many years. Some culture don’t like to file divorce due to religion but they are considered divorce physically. It’ s not like in America that you can divorce without having problems. This case they dont have children. Many culture don’t accept divorce, if men decided to leave his wife, he just walked out of her, no paperwork done. The mistress will be forever mistress and the wife will be forever wife without husband. That is ridiculus right ? But it happened right now in many third world countries. Don’t know how does it work in Chile …?
Huh? commented on Oct 14 10 at 4:03 pmUm, *Johnny* is also out of line, assuming this is not an open marriage.
Chip commented on Oct 14 10 at 4:05 pmMy understanding of the situation is that neither woman was aware of the other’s existence until they both showed up at the mine, which doesn’t exactly cast Mr. Barrios in a very good light. So yeah, I think the scenario of “the three of them will share their lives going forward” is unlikely at best. Personally, I think they should split the reward money between themselves and leave him out.
When I first heard about this, my thought was of the guy saying to his colleagues “Uh, you guys go up… I’m staying down here, it’s safer that way.”
BBB007 commented on Oct 14 10 at 4:07 pmI agree with you Bonnie. Barrios did not appear happy with only the mistress being there. It also appeared that the women in the background was actually laughing at the site of them together. It just seemed awkward…While most of the miners came out of the mine with a new perspective on life, Barrios seems to be the exception.
slswhat commented on Oct 14 10 at 5:20 pmMy favorite comment is still “The Mistress was out of line” for being there.
Really? You think? Seems to me the “Mistress was out of line for being a mistress” or “He was out of line having a mistress”
Just because you are in a hole thousands of miles underneath the earth surface for a few months does suddenly make you an upstanding fellow. He went down a hole scumball. He lived in a hole as a scumball. He came up a scumball and was greeting by a scumball.
Bad things happen to bad people. I guess this guy was an example.
Voice of Reason commented on Oct 14 10 at 5:38 pmLike Chip, my husband and I had an amusing conversation involving Johnny Barrios standing at the bottom saying, ‘After you, after you, after you,’ as his colleagues were trying to establish position in the rescue queue.
This was not an open marriage. He lied and cheated and has a great many amends to make; the mistress is not entitled to anything.
Stephanie commented on Oct 14 10 at 5:48 pmTired of seeing the Miner and Mistress garbage. Years ago she would have been stoned to death! Now we are embracing it publicly. It makes me sick. I am so glad they were all saved and well.
dl commented on Oct 14 10 at 8:49 pmI don’t think his mistress is entitled to anything and it was foolish of him to have her there. Especially with all the media around. Those who have been cheated on know what it feels like to find out the truth and how badly it hurts and for her to find out that way had to be painful. At least his wife had enough self respect not to make a spectacle of herself. Emotions were already on the rise and it just would have been more awkward and painful to share that triumphant moment with a third wheel. “Getting their man back…” sounds like something we’d read in the National Enquirer. No matter how fooled either one of them may have been, the rightful spot of the greeter should have gone to the wife.
Marj commented on Oct 15 10 at 1:57 pm“I’d hoped to see the women reconcile and stay focused on what matters most: getting their man back alive and bringing him back to health. It sounds like there’s been ongoing drama between them instead.”
Uh…what? Their man? Like they have a happy polygamous relationship with him? No. I’m not really sure where that expectation comes from. Perhaps you believe that humans are supposed to be one male and a bevvy of happy, faithful women. Most women do not feel that way. I realize that there are, probably, situations where this is true, and the women are happy, but worldwide that is not the norm. Usually where it is the norm, men are so domineering and women so powerless, they wouldn’t want to deal with a husband all by themselves anyway.
Rosana commented on Oct 15 10 at 2:05 pmDoes not surprise me, with the “machismo” most Hispanic men are raised under and women are expected to comply with.
I will not doubt that the wife knew about the affair but did not do anything because her husband is the breadwinner of the family. However, in very rare cases the mistress is accepted along with her kids, in the family’s home. So, I do not think they will all live happily ever after. Maybe the wife decided to have the mistress in the meeting to tell her to her face that she was getting “absolutamente nada” of the reward, HA!
Mistress_Scorpio commented on Oct 15 10 at 2:41 pmWow, Rosana. That comment was jam packed with sterotype and ignorance.
tanesha commented on Oct 15 10 at 3:36 pmshe should not get a dime !she not his wife she just a side piece.
Gretchen Powers commented on Oct 15 10 at 7:02 pmI’m pretty sure Rosana *is* hispanic, I think I remember something from a past post (?) so maybe it’s OK? right? Anyway, I think the guy who is getting the reward money should be the one to decide…
Mistress_Scorpio commented on Oct 15 10 at 11:18 pmNo, it’s not, but I’m not surprised you’d think so, maybe.
Gretchen Powers commented on Oct 16 10 at 10:12 pmI don’t know, there’s this thing where people can dis their own, blacks can call each other the N word, yadda yadda yadda…you know, maybe she’s lived it (?)
Beth commented on Oct 17 10 at 2:11 amOnly the miner and his lawful wife should receive the compensation money. If he wants to share his half with his cheating partner, that’s his choice.
No one forced the girlfriend’s to “Take off work” or to “leave their jobs” to stand vigil. That was certainly their choice. the girlfriend’s are not entitled to a dime!
I hope the legit wife leaves him in the dust and does something good with her 1/2 of the money and becomes independent from that lying, cheating no good jerk, who doesn’t deserve a wife.
Mistress_Scorpio commented on Oct 17 10 at 4:15 amYour life has got to be blissful as all get out, because I cannot fathom the boundlessness of your ignorance.
Gretchen Powers commented on Oct 17 10 at 6:27 pmHey, I’m not the one who made the comment…conversely, *your* life must be miserable because you are more annoyingly self-righteous and PC and down everyone’s throat for every little thing. Get over yourself, my gawd.
Aiming higher commented on Oct 17 10 at 10:47 pmThis comment is morally low and very stupid: “Maybe that’s a sign that they’re ready to start talking about how the three of them will share their lives going forward.”
Rosana commented on Oct 18 10 at 9:40 amWow, Mistress ignorance about Hispanic culture is the least I have. I come from it.
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