My Honeymoon Ended When He Handed Me the Bill

Synopsis

David Carter and I got married yesterday. This morning at seven, I was in the kitchen making breakfast for David when he came downstairs in his pajamas, holding a piece of paper. "Emily, let's talk." David sat down at the table and slid the paper across to me. I wiped the flour off my hands and picked it up. It read: [Marital Financial Management Agreement]. I froze for a few seconds, thinking I must have misread it. "David, what is this?" "Exactly what it says." He straightened his tie. "We're married now, but it's better if we keep our finances separate. I'll cover the mortgage, you cover living expenses, and everything else we each pay for ourselves." The spatula nearly slipped out of my hand. "What did you say?" "Fifty-fifty. A lot of couples do it these days." He said it like it was the most natural thing in the world. "I make six thousand a month. The mortgage is three thousand, so the rest is mine. "You make four thousand. After sending a thousand to your parents, you've got three left for living expenses." I blinked, wondering if I was dreaming. At our wedding, we'd promised to stand by each other "in richness and in poverty." And then he wanted to settle accounts?