The Ex Files

Disengaged

What in the hell do I think I'm doing? Have I screwed up again, or is this the best decision I ever made?

Eleanor was stretched out in her recliner, drinking chamomile tea and breathing as deeply and slowly as she could manage. It was 3:46 AM. She would have to get up for work in less than three hours, and she had not slept at all.

The apartment viewing had not gone well. Hal was in one of his petulant moods, finding fault with everything. They had been planning to adjourn to his place afterwards to discuss what they had seen and browse the internet for additional possibilities, but Hal insisted on going to a coffee shop "for something to get the bad taste out of my mouth."

"I thought we were going to buy!" he pouted, like a five-year-old demanding ice cream instead of spinach. "That's the best investment in the long run."

Eleanor sipped her mineral water and refrained from reminding him that they had already replayed this conversation numerous times. Even if the bank considered them financially stable enough to give them a mortgage, their combined assets would not cover a down payment. Eleanor hoped fervently that there would be a nest egg left over after she sold the Blue Elephant and paid off the mortgage, legal fees, and the last of the outstanding bills, but that was by no means a sure thing. She had spent a sweaty evening doing the math, and had consulted Pamina, who concurred with her conclusion that it would require a miracle to afford a house, or even an elderly condo, in the city.

"You had three tenants," Hal said accusingly, "and a full-time job. What happened to all your money?"

"I paid off my debts," Eleanor said slowly, carefully, as if she were talking to a pre-schooler, modulating her voice so that the other customers would not overhear them. "What happened to yours?"

"Angel, I understand that you don't like to be reminded of your financial irresponsibility, but it isn't at all fair of you to make sarcastic accusations because I took a bath on a bad investment and am on the verge of filing for bankruptcy."

Is he dramatizing, or what? If he's telling it like it is, why hasn't he mentioned this to me before? We're supposed to be partners.

"What is your credit score these days?" she purred. "Is it enough to get us in the door of any apartment building? Mine is less than stellar, you know."

Hal studied his coffee carefully, and then met her eyes. "I think it would be better if I just moved into your house until our financial situation is more stable."

So your plan was to pretend to go apartment hunting and keep saying no until I came to the conclusion that there was no option but to take you in? I should have known.

Eleanor decided to take a leaf out of Hal's playbook. "Darling, I'm just not comfortable with the idea of playing newlywed games in a home that we're sharing with two of your exes."

"Mitsuki isn't an ex," Hal said innocently. "I never even kissed her."

"You bilked her out of fifteen thousand dollars. That's just as bad."

"Obviously, you've been misinformed," Hal said soothingly. "A communications glitch. Mitsuki didn't understand that the money has to stay invested for two years before she would get it back. When it matures, she'll collect her principal and almost five thousand dollars in interest. That is pure gold on today's market. Pure gold."

Eleanor said nothing for a full minute, processing the situation. She didn't have to wonder whether Hal was lying. She knew.

"You know," she said with her best professional manner, as if she were discussing the advisability of a perm or a colour, "there seem to be a lot of loose ends here. I think we had best put our engagement on ice until all these financial worries have been resolved. It would be a terrible beginning to our marriage. And when the baby comes, our needs will be even greater."