Chapter 1
In the second month of our marriage, my husband, Floyd Shaw, shamelessly asked me for money to pay off his car loan.
"I bought that Mercedes just so you could show off, so of course you should be the one paying for it," he said.
I was actually amused by his words. I'd hardly ever ridden in that car.
Besides, I had a way nicer car myself. Why should I show off a mere Mercedes?
I didn't bother arguing. Instead, I just asked, kind of confused, "What about your salary?"
Floyd's face went red, but he still raised his voice. "I gave my bank card to my mom.
"My mom always says if we don't know how to manage our money, we'll end up broke. She's just managing it for me.
"She's doing all this for us, and I gave her the card myself. Don't tell me you're going to blame my mom for now?"
I couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Of course not!"
"Honestly, I think we're totally in sync. I handed my card over to my mom just a few days ago. I was just about to hit you up for some cash to pay off my bill."
*****
Maybe it was because I didn't look mad at all when I said that—actually, I even had a bit of a smile on my face, so Floyd didn't take me seriously.
He just assumed I was upset about him giving his salary and savings to his mother, Margaret, and thought I was just being sarcastic.
He thought he'd figured me out, and his expression darkened with anger.
"You really need to stop reading those online posts about dealing with in-laws and mama's boys," he snapped.
"Our family isn't anything like that. My mom doesn't just waste my money. She invests it for me. Every year, she gives me a cut of the profits, so she's basically making money for me all the time!"
"My mom raised me all by herself. Everything she's ever done has been for me, you know?"
But Floyd just got more and more agitated as he spoke.
He was like a completely different person from the one who made all those solemn promises when we were dating.
Back when I was hesitating about marrying him because he was from a single-parent family, Floyd swore to me, "Even though my family is incomplete, I have my own mind, and my mom is the type who never interferes in my life."
I believed him back then.
But now, barely a month into our marriage, he had already handed over his salary and savings to Margaret, all under the so-called excuse of helping us manage our money. She was not helping us manage anything—she was just scheming against me.
Seeing Floyd get so worked up, I quickly jumped in to explain.
"Floyd, don't get the wrong idea. You're not one of mama's boys who gets married, moves back in with his mom, and hands over his whole salary to her."
"You know I'm always broke. Before we got married, it didn't matter much, but now I have to think about my family. So I figured I'd let my mom take care of my savings."
"But don't worry, my mom's not going to keep my money for herself. She promised to send me a payout every six months."
"Both our moms are great, and they just want the best for us. So there's no way I'd ever be mad at your mom, and I'm sure you wouldn't be mad at mine either, right?"
Floyd rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed.
"Every six months? Your paycheck barely covers your own expenses. So what are we supposed to eat, pay for, or live on for half a year? The car loan, groceries, and bills all need money," he complained.
Honestly, I didn't even have to argue back this time.
Even Floyd could tell he was being ridiculous. I just gave my savings to my mom, but he handed over his whole paycheck.
I thought for a second and suggested, "How about we just cut back a little? I make three grand a month, and after all my expenses, I usually have a few hundred left. Why don't I just let you have that?"
"That's nowhere near enough." Floyd cut me off.
"My car loan alone is nearly three grand a month, and that's not even counting groceries, gas, and everything else. I need at least five grand a month. What am I supposed to do with just a few hundred?" he complained.
I sighed, "How was I supposed to know you needed that much? We always split everything fifty-fifty when we were dating, so I figured you knew what you were doing when you handed your card to your mom."
He had no comeback for that. He was so mad that his face turned red, but no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't think of anything to say.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up.
"What about the money we got from the family when we got married? You had all that cash, and your parents promised it was all yours. They wouldn't touch a dime."
"Don't tell me they broke their word and took it too. If that's the case, we really need to talk to them."
I knew Floyd would bring up the wedding gift.
But since I'd already handed my savings over to my mom, I'd totally seen this coming.
So I calmly pulled out my phone and played a voice message Margaret had sent me before the wedding.
She said: [Camila, weddings are just a show for the guests. You and Floyd love each other, so why bother spending all that cash on a big wedding?]
[With that fancy hotel you picked, you'll spend much money than you can afford.]
[Don't blame me for being so thrifty. I'm just thinking of your future.]
[If your parents insist on throwing a wedding, let them handle it. But just so we're clear, Floyd and I won't take a penny of the gifts you receive, but we're not putting in any money either.]