Chapter 2
The group chat was still blowing up with messages.
Linda: [If a woman doesn't have a job, she'll get lazy at home. Anna, you should hurry up and find a new job.]
Richard: [How much the company had paid out? All the family's money needs to be handled together.]
Anna didn't reply. She set her phone aside.
Michael said quietly, "They speak their minds. Don't take it to heart."
"Did you ask me before you told them?" Anna asked.
"What's the big deal about telling them?"
Anna looked at the food on the table, but suddenly lost her appetite.
*****
At nine o'clock that night, Linda called again.
Anna didn't answer.
Michael took the call and stood on the balcony for a long time.
When he came back to the living room, his expression was a bit off. "My parents are worried we might be fighting, so they want to come over and check on us."
"Tonight?" Anna asked.
"They're already on their way."
Anna glanced at the time.
She thought, 'The Hayes family lives more than twenty-five miles from here. Even if they were worried, there is no need to come all the way over in the middle of the night.'
She got up to clear away the takeout boxes, casually started recording on her phone, and set it face down on the coffee table.
*****
The doorbell rang at 10:07.
As soon as Michael opened the door, Linda marched straight into the living room.
She didn't bother to take off her shoes. She said first, "Now that you're out of a job, maybe you two should reconsider your marriage."
Linda plopped down on the couch, and Richard followed her in.
He had a cigarette in his hand, but when he spotted the no-smoking sign on the wall, he put it back in his pack. "We're not here to argue."
Richard glanced at Anna. "When there's a problem at home, we need to sit down and settle the accounts."
Anna poured herself a glass of water. "Settle what accounts?"
Linda cut in. "Of course, we're talking about how you two are going to manage from now on.
"Michael has to pay the mortgage every month and look after us. Now that you're not working, you can't expect him to handle everything by himself."
Anna looked at Michael. "Did you ever tell them who's actually been paying the mortgage these last four years?"
Michael kept his head down. "There's no point in bringing up the past now."
Linda slapped the armrest of the couch. "Who cares whose money it is when you're married? Shouldn't you have chipped in more when you were earning?
"Of course, things change now that you don't have a job."
Anna took a sip of water. "So you guys rushed over here in the middle of the night because you're worried I'll start spending all of Michael's money?"
The living room went quiet for a few seconds.
Richard cleared his throat. "Don't put it like that. Our shop lost money, and Michael is under a lot of pressure. We're his parents, so of course, we worry about him.
"He married you to build a life together, not to support a deadbeat."
Michael looked up. "Dad, that's enough."
Linda gave Michael a sharp look. "Let me finish. She is thirty-three, lost her job, and still hasn't had a kid with you. Why should you keep putting your life on hold for her?"
Michael didn't say a word.
Anna's grip loosened on her glass.
She thought, 'It was Michael who said he didn't want kids four years ago.
'He failed his Architect Registration Examination, his job was shaky, and he didn't want to add more stress to the family.
'Later, when Linda started nagging about grandkids, he kept saying I was busy with my projects, and we would think about it in a couple of years.
'Now, he sits there, letting silence carry all the blame.'
Anna asked, "Michael, is that what you think, too?"
"I never said anything about divorce," Michael replied.
"Then ask them to go home," Anna said.
Michael started to say something, but the words wouldn't come.
Linda jumped to her feet. "Why are you putting him on the spot? We already talked this over before we came.
"If you're willing to use your severance to cover the mortgage and promise you'll find a job within three months, then we can work something out.
"If you're not willing, then get a divorce."
Anna looked at her. "Why should I hand over my severance for you to manage?"
"Your money belongs to the family now," Linda shot back.
"Then why doesn't the money Michael sends you every month count as part of the household finances?" Anna shot back.
Linda's face darkened. "He is being a good son. Does he need to clear everything with you?"
Anna didn't say a word. She got up and walked into the study.
Michael followed her to the door. "Don't make a scene."
"I'm going to get something," Anna replied.
The printer started up in no time.
Five minutes later, Anna came back to the living room with two copies of the divorce settlement.
She set the papers down on the coffee table. "We'll split the house based on what each of us contributed. We'll each take back our own savings.
"I won't hold it against you for the money you sent to your parents.
"Any guarantees you made for Hayes Hardware are your responsibility."