Why did the husband turn pale when he heard his wife’s reaction to the news of him leaving for a younger woman?
The Bill for a Great Life
Victor snorted.
« What about the apartment? I said, live there, pay the bills, and be happy. I’ll close the loan somehow, I have some money left. »
“Pennies?” Marina tilted her head slightly. “When was the last time you accessed your bank app?”
The answer was obvious: never. She was the one who set up all the automatic payments.
« Have you forgotten that two years ago, when you wanted a huge TV and new living room furniture, we refinanced? We took out extra money and extended the repayment period. And you insisted on a variable rate. You said, ‘It’s better, Marisz, the market is stable.’ »
Victor frowned. He remembered something, but the details were hazy.
– No i?
« The interest rate went up. The bank recalculated last month’s installment. Starting tomorrow, your account won’t be debited with forty thousand, as you think, but fifty-two thousand three hundred and forty. »
“How much?” Victor gasped. “You’re lying.”
– Open the text message from the bank. It arrived on Tuesday. You were probably gambling and just ignored it.
He grabbed the phone, his duck-greasy fingers sliding across the screen. He found the message and read it. His face began to turn gray.
“Fifty-two…” he whispered. “It’s the bank’s fault.”
– Not the bank. You signed the contract.
Marina entered the amount in the column.
« Minus fifty-two thousand three hundred forty. Next: the car. Your beloved black crossover, the one you love to drive up to the office in, making the accounting girls sigh. »
« Don’t touch the car! » Wiktor said, outraged. « It’s my car. I make money with it. I use it to show my status. »
« Status is when the car belongs to you. This one belongs to the bank. You took it without a down payment. Remember? ‘Why save? You only live once’—that’s your motto. The comprehensive auto insurance ran out a week ago. I didn’t renew it. It’s a hundred thousand, Witia. I didn’t have it. And without comprehensive auto insurance, the bank raises the interest rate on the car loan. It’s written in the fine print of the contract. »
Wiktor froze. A cold bead of sweat ran down his back.
« Tomorrow’s car payment is twenty-eight thousand. And that’s before the penalty for not having insurance, which will come next month. »
Marina wrote down another entry.
« Fifty-two plus twenty-eight. Eighty thousand already. Almost half of your big bucks disappeared in two minutes. »
Christmas help for the family
The room grew very quiet. Even Zhanna stopped eating her salad and stared at her brother. It was the first time she had seen him so lost.
« But that’s just the beginning, » Marina continued. « Now let’s get to the most interesting part: spending money on your beloved family. »
She looked at her mother-in-law. Galina Petrovna straightened, her gold necklace jingling.
« Mariuszeczka, what does family have to do with this? » she asked shrilly. « Vitya helps her mother. It’s sacred. »
« Holiness has its price, Galina Petrovna. Vitya, a loan for the dacha renovation. The same one we used to buy the banya. You’ve never bathed in it, but your friends drink beer there every weekend. »
“Mom pays from her pension!” Wiktor snapped, though he was no longer sure.
« Vitya, » Marina sighed, like a tired teacher explaining the multiplication table. « Mom has an eighteen-thousand-zloty pension. The rent for her apartment is six thousand. That leaves twelve thousand to live on. The monthly mortgage payment is twenty-two thousand. Do you think the laws of physics allow you to squeeze twenty-two into twelve? »
Victor glanced at his mother. Galina Petrovna blushed and looked away.
« I thought you had money, son. You never said no. And Marina… she just put it on my card. I thought you were giving it to her. »
« I was the one transferring the money, Vitya, » Marina said. « From my extra assignments. I took on late-night translations of technical texts while you were asleep, so the bailiffs wouldn’t harass your mother. That’s it from today. I’m leaving. You pay the loan. »
Wiktor opened and closed his mouth like a fish thrown onto ice.
“Twenty-two thousand,” Marina entered the amount. “Next.”
Then Zhanna spoke up.
« Vitia, what about my courses? And fitness? You promised you’d pay for my annual membership tomorrow. I’ve already made an appointment with the trainer! »
Marina gave a short, dry laugh.
« Żanna, your brother isn’t thinking about fitness right now. He’ll be wondering how to keep his pants on. »
« Vitya! » Zhanna jumped up. « You promised! Are you a man or not? »
Victor hid his face in his hands.
“Shut up, Zhanna,” he croaked. “Just shut up.”
Marina continued talking.
« The bills for this apartment: heating, electricity, internet, concierge. Twelve thousand. You’re the landlord, the bills are in your name. If you don’t pay, they’ll cut off the lights. And your new Alicja probably won’t be thrilled about sitting by candlelight in a cold apartment. She likes comfort. »
She wrote down another amount.
« Let’s sum it up. Fifty-two thousand for the mortgage. Twenty-eight thousand for the car. Twenty-two thousand for my mom’s pension. Twelve thousand for the apartment. »
She highlighted the column with a thick line.
– A total of one hundred and fourteen thousand mandatory payments. Tomorrow. No discussion.
“One hundred and fourteen…” Victor repeated in a toneless voice.
« You have one hundred and eighty. We subtract. That leaves sixty-six thousand. »
A faint spark of hope appeared in his eyes.
« See! Sixty-six thousand is normal money. I’ll survive. Alicja will understand. We just… won’t fly business class. It’ll be more modest. »
“Alice?” Marina raised her eyebrows. “Oh yes, Alice and Bali. You bought the tickets and paid for the hotel.”
« Yes, » Wiktor proudly jutted out his chin. « Everything’s paid for. So the trip will go ahead. »
“Which card did you use to pay, Vitya?” she asked very gently.
Victor froze.
– Credit card? Platinum card? There’s a high limit there.
« And the interest-free period? Do you remember the terms? You withdrew some cash from an ATM to give Alicja for shopping, and you paid the rest online. When you withdraw cash, the interest-free period ends. Immediately. Interest accrues from day one. Forty-nine percent per year. »
Victor gasped. He had forgotten. He had truly forgotten that he had withdrawn the cash to impress his mistress.
« Your minimum card payment is due tomorrow. Considering the amount you’ve spent on a beautiful life, that’s about thirty thousand. Otherwise, you’ll face fines and have your accounts blocked. »
Marina entered the last number.
« Sixty-six minus thirty. That leaves thirty-six thousand. »
She stood up. Above the table, above the shrunken Victor and her terrified mother-in-law, she suddenly seemed taller than ever.
« Thirty-six thousand a month, Vitya. For food, gas for your gas-guzzling car, cigarettes, coffee. And alimony? That’s a piece of cake. They’ll deduct it next month before the money hits your card. Twenty-five percent of your income. »
She closed the notebook and placed it in front of him.
« Call Alice. Tell her that instead of the ocean and lobsters, you’re going to a dacha, to a bathhouse, and eat potatoes from Galina Petrovna’s garden. You know what she’ll say? »
Victor remained silent. He knew. He knew perfectly well what the young woman who loved his generosity would say.
“It will disappear faster than alcohol from an open bottle,” Marina said for him.
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