'A cuppa these days seems to cost a small fortune!' My friend Rachel opened her purse and rooted through the coins.
'Don't worry. I'll get it,' I said.
A look of relief crossed her face. 'Thanks, Clare.'
We met at the park cafe every fortnight on a Saturday. But recently, things had changed...
Three months ago, Rachel had introduced us to her new partner, Luke. My hubby Kit and I had genuinely warmed to him.
The couple had met via app dating.
Both are in their forties and childless (like us). Luke's a car mechanic and Rachel's in IT. Kit and I are teachers.
It was a heady, whirlwind romance, when Rachel gave up her warm, cosy rented flat and moved into Luke's place, I had reservations.
I'd thought it was way too soon, but blissfully in love, Rachel had waved away my concerns.
'Luke says it's silly for us to fork out for two lots of rent,' she'd reasoned.
It was a fair point, but... I'd actually thought she'd hesitate, as she lived in a nice area, overlooking the park.
When I visited her new home (Luke's place) I was taken aback.
Luke had a small, damp, grubby terrace, off a main road, that was stuffed full of takeaways and a discounted supermarket.
I didn't mean to sound snobby, but it was quite depressing.
The tatty curtains and carpet, freezing cold bathroom, sparse junk city furniture and scuffed paintwork was a world away from the soft carpets, tasteful décor and the pleasant view that she was used to. Her lovely furniture looked out of place here.
I just couldn't see her settling here. Her gorgeous furniture looked out of sorts, all crammed in.
'I've put my bits and bobs into storage,' she announced. Luckily, Luke was out.
'Good. I'm glad about that,' I said.
'I know it's a bit grotty at the moment, but I'm going to transform this place into a little love nest,' she declared.
Good luck with that, I thought.
'I'd have thought Luke would want to move into her apartment,' I'd said to Kit later that day, when I arrived home.
'It's a far higher standard. It'd be a big improvement for him.'
He'd shrugged. 'Well, maybe it's about cutting costs as a couple. Rachel lived in a decent district. Her local deli and bistro are lovely, but they're pretty expensive. I mean, even the park cafe is classy.'
I nodded - it was.
'I expect her rent's higher, too,' he added.
'She could afford it. She earns a higher salary than him,' I concluded.
'Hmm.' Yet Kit didn't expand any further.
***
I was given updates from Rachel when we met in the cafe.
'Luke's so organised with our fiances. He's set up a spreadsheet of our monthly income and outgoings,' she'd said.
I'd smiled. 'It's good that he wants to be efficient.'
'Well, I was absolutely hopeless with money wasn't I, Clare?' she'd giggled.
I'd frowned. I hadn't seen any evidence to support that.
In fact, Rachel had been a stickler for paying her bills and rent on time. She'd never been in debt and had kept a close eye on her banking.
I was about to gently challenge that, when a customer entered the cafe with a cute dog and Rachel became distracted.
I couldn't prove it, yet I suspected the 'hopeless with money' remark was down to Luke.
Then I noticed that Rachel only had a five pound note in her purse.
***
'She probably hadn't had time to visit the cash machine,' Kit said later, when I explained about the single five pounds in Rachel's purse.
'Then there's his spreadsheet...'
'We have a spreadsheet for our finances,' he pointed out.
'True. But you don't tell your friends that I'm useless with money when I'm not. Why is he feeding her lies and why is she accepting what he's saying?'
We hadn't socialised with Rachel and Luke, either.
We'd invited them round for weekend lunches, but Clare had trotted out excuses about why they couldn't come.
He sighed. 'I don't know, but I wouldn't become involved in this, Clare. If you argue with her, no doubt she'll defend him, and it could all backfire.'
'I can sense that something's not right. I won't interfere - but I can listen.'
He nodded. 'Well, it's takeaway tonight. Who's paying?'
I grinned. 'We both are.'
The online payment was taken out of our joint account.
***
Next time at the cafe, Rachel looked longingly at the sandwiches.
'Why not stay for lunch? My treat,' I added hastily.
'Okay. If I pay for anything, I have to keep the receipt. Luke likes to see receipts.' She didn't seem in the least bit bothered about this.
We found a quiet table and got settled.
'Luke's really good. He allows me to have my favourite biscuits on the online supermarket shop', Rachel whispered, as we tucked in.
I was puzzled.
Why was Luke a good person by 'allowing' her a packet of biscuits? It was a rather bizarre attitude. What was the reason behind it?
I shifted in my seat, yet I adopted a joky tone. 'It sounds like he keeps a tight rein on the grocery expenses!'
'Well, everything is more expensive now, Clare. The cost of living is going up all the time.'
I couldn't argue with that, yet I wondered if she was parroting one of Luke's phrases.
'Kit and I do the online weekly shop together. Do you and Luke do the same?'
She shook her head. 'He does it all.'
I had to speak out. 'Look Rachel, don't take this the wrong way but I really hope you haven't given him access to your PIN and bank account.'
'Of course I haven't. I contribute to the bills by giving him cash. He puts it in his account later.'
'Right.' Yet I still felt uneasy.
***
Then, a few weeks later, a problem between the couple reached crisis point, and they had a bad quarrel.
It was coming up to Rachel's Mum's birthday. She wanted to book a weekend at a luxury spa hotel as a gift for her.
Of course, Luke had hit the roof and refused point blank.
Rachel demanded to know why she couldn't treat her mum.
He'd trotted out the 'we need to keep to our budget' line but this time, Rachel wasn't buying it.
The rose tinted spectacles suddenly fell from her eyes and the reality made her see that Luke was a financial coercive controller.
'I packed my bags and went to Mum's,' she tearfully told me over the phone. 'I wish I hadn't been so eager to give notice on my flat. Oh, I was so silly!'
'Don't be hard on yourself. You sensibly placed your furniture and things into storage and you've now regained full ownership of your own financial choices. You don't have to keep receipts or answer to him any more.'
'No.' We were both mulling things over. The situation could have been much worse if she'd awarded Luke access to her bank account and PIN.
'I'm going to book that hotel for my mum's birthday,' she said.
'Good. I'll see you on Saturday as usual.'
'See you. Oh and I'm paying for the coffee - and lunch.'
I updated Kit.
'The split doesn't surprise me. Luke didn't strike me as a guy who'd feel comfortable about his partner earning more than him- hence asking her to move into his place.'
I nodded. 'I'm just so relieved that she's seen finally seen the light!'
About the author
Sharon is fifty- something, happily married and lives in a small town in West Yorkshire. As she suffers from anxiety, writing short stories helps her to focus on something creative. It's like occupational therapy.
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