Chapter 2 - THE COLD REALITY OF A DECLINED LIFE
By noon,
the atmosphere in the house had shifted from triumph to a confused,
simmering tension.
Eleanor had attempted to go to her weekly bridge club,
only to find that her car wouldn't start because the remote starter system,
part of a premium subscription I had canceled,
had locked her out.
Then,
she tried to call the mechanic,
only to discover that her "unlimited" phone plan had been suspended for non-payment.
She came storming into the living room where I was calmly reading a book,
her face flushed a deep,
angry purple.
"Why isn't my phone working?"
she screamed,
slamming the device down on the coffee table.
I looked up,
my expression one of innocent confusion.
"Oh,
I’m so sorry,
Eleanor,"
I said,
closing my book slowly.
"But since I quit my job,
I realized we have to make some serious sacrifices."
She stared at me,
her mouth hanging open like a landed fish.
"What do you mean,
sacrifices?"
"Well,"
I explained,
counting the points off on my fingers,
"without my salary,
we can't afford the luxury items anymore."
"I had to cancel the phone plans,
the high-speed internet,
and the premium insurance covers."
"We’re going to have to live very simply now,
just like a 'proper' family,
right?"
Daniel emerged from the basement,
looking pale and holding his laptop.
"The Wi-Fi is out,"
he said,
his voice rising in panic.
"And I just got an alert that my car payment was returned by the bank."
"Emma,
what is going on?"
I stood up,
straightening my apron,
the image of the dutiful housewife they had demanded.
"I told you,"
I said,
my voice sweet enough to cause cavities.
"I’m focusing on the family now."
"And since I’m not earning,
there is no money in the joint accounts."
"I assumed you had enough in your personal savings to cover your own bills,
Daniel."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Daniel had no savings;
he spent every penny I gave him on gadgets,
expensive clothes,
and nights out with his friends.
Eleanor’s eyes darted around the room,
finally landing on the thermostat on the wall.
"It's getting cold in here,"
she whispered,
a sudden realization dawning in her eyes.
"The heating,"
I noted helpfully.
"That was on the autopay system tied to my corporate account."
"Since I don't work there anymore,
the account was closed this morning."
"The utility company said they would be cutting the gas by two p.m."
Daniel grabbed my shoulders,
his grip tight and desperate.
"You can't do this!
Call them back!
Tell them you made a mistake!"
I looked down at his hands,
then back up at his face,
not feeling a single shred of the guilt that used to consume me.
"How can I,
Daniel?"
I asked.
"I’m just a 'proper wife' now."
"I don't handle the finances anymore;
that’s the man’s job,
remember?"
I watched the fear finally take root in his eyes,
a mirror of the fear I had felt when I woke up to the sound of clippers against my skull.
May you like
They had wanted to strip away my power,
forgetting that my power was the only thing keeping the roof over their heads.
