Chapter 7 - The Woman Who Started CountingSummer moved out.
She rented a small house near the library.
She started cooking again.
But this time, she cooked because she enjoyed it.
Not because someone demanded meat.
She planted tomatoes.
Basil.
Peppers.
And one tiny lemon tree.
She started a budget notebook.
At the top, she wrote:
My Money. My Choices. My Life.
Then she began rebuilding.
She took evening classes in archival management.
She received a promotion.
Then another.
Six months later, she became the library's records supervisor.
Her salary increased significantly.
She no longer needed to count every tortilla.
She still did.
But now it was because she wanted to.
One afternoon, Denise asked:
“Do you ever miss him?”
Summer thought about it.
“I miss who I thought he was.”
“Not him?”
“No.”
Denise smiled.
“That sounds like healing.”
Summer looked out the window.
“I think it is.”
Meanwhile, Andy's life collapsed.
Samantha left.
His job terminated him.
His car was sold.
His father’s estate demanded repayment.
He had to sell most of what he owned.
The man who once criticized his wife for spending too much now counted every dollar himself.
And every month, he sent Summer her share of the household equity.
Exactly as ordered.
No more.
No less.
He eventually moved into a small apartment.
For the first time in years, he ate simple food.
Beans.
Rice.
Soup.
May you like
Sometimes chicken.
And every time he looked at his empty kitchen, he remembered the woman who had once cooked for him with seventy-five dollars.
