“If we don’t have the money by tomorrow, we’re through,” declared the fiancé firmly.
Alex and Amy were planning to tie the knot in three weeks. Amy’s parents weren’t overly thrilled about the news, but they didn’t oppose it either.
“Maybe we should just go to the registry office?” suggested Alex, hoping to avoid spending much on what he saw as an unnecessary expense.
“No, I’m only getting married once and I want the day to be unforgettable!” protested Amy, dreaming of a lavish wedding complete with a dress and all the trimmings.
“Our budget isn’t quite there, you know,” Alex replied hesitantly. “Maybe we should save up and have the wedding later?”
“Are you trying to back out?” Amy eyed her future husband with suspicion.
“Amy, if I wanted to back out, I wouldn’t have proposed in the first place,” Alex said, a bit upset. “Money is just tight right now.”
Alex wasn’t lying. He was working as a sales representative in the liquor industry, and things hadn’t been going well lately.
Competitors were always a step ahead of Alex, affecting his earnings, which had been declining rapidly.
Amy wasn’t working anywhere. She was looking for a job she liked, but unfortunately, hadn’t found one yet.
She had mentioned to Alex a couple of times that she wanted to open her own clothing store, but didn’t have the money for it.
Alex shrugged and said there wasn’t much he could do to help, and if she wanted her own business, she’d need to save up for it herself.
“Let’s borrow from my parents,” Amy suggested to her fiancé.
“No,” Alex countered. “Borrow money just to invite them to the same wedding? I’ll come up with something.”
And Alex did come up with something. He took out a loan from the bank for five thousand pounds and immediately called his future wife to tell her the news.
Amy jumped with joy around the room as she eagerly awaited Alex’s return.
Seeing such a sum of money made her eyes light up. She sat on the sofa, methodically counting the bills with a satisfied smile.
“Excellent!” she exclaimed, piling the money together. “We’re saved!”
“Amy, I’m running late. See if you can find a good venue for the wedding,” Alex checked the time and began preparing to leave for work.
“Where are you going? It’s eight in the evening,” Amy asked, surprised.
“I picked up extra work. We have to pay off the loan, don’t we?” replied Alex as he headed out the door.
For the next two weeks, Alex worked tirelessly, without breaks or days off.
He left by seven in the morning and returned well past midnight, barely seeing Amy, who was still asleep when he left and already asleep by the time he got back.
Six days before the big day, Alex asked Amy how the wedding preparations were coming along.
“Alex, we need to postpone the wedding for a couple weeks,” Amy replied with a strained smile, avoiding eye contact.
“Why? Was the loan for nothing?” Alex looked at her, visibly puzzled.
“I put the money into a savings account.”
“Why?”
“Just that the wedding I dream of costs a bit more than we have…”
“And the interest from a savings account is going to make us rich? Stop talking nonsense! Amy, tell me the truth! What happened to the money?” Alex clenched his teeth in frustration.
“I didn’t use it! It’s still in the savings account!” she protested. “Are you accusing me of theft?”
“No, I just want the truth!” Alex found it hard to believe she would put off the wedding she wanted so badly just for the interest on a savings account.
“I am telling the truth,” Amy said with a huff, pouting. “I’m doing this for both of us.”
Her reaction made Alex question his suspicions. Why was he so sure she would secretly spend the money?
“All right then, a couple more weeks,” he said with a sigh, heading back to work.
On his way to a neighbouring town, he decided to stop by Amy’s parents’ country house, which they hadn’t visited in months.
As he approached, he saw fresh tracks in the snow by the house, suggesting someone had been there recently.
Initially, Alex was going to call Amy and tell her what he’d discovered, but he decided to check that everything was okay inside first.
Unlocking the door, he stepped inside. Nothing seemed to suggest the house had been burgled.
Alex looked around and noticed large striped bags in the corner. Curious, he opened one to see what was inside.
The bag was filled with new clothes from China.
He stood there, staring at the items, as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.
Amy had spent the entire loan on her dream. Now he understood what she meant by putting the money into a savings account under “a high interest.”
Barely restraining himself from calling her right then and there to voice how he felt, Alex grabbed one of the bags.
He stormed out of the house, returned to his car, and drove back.
An hour later, he was standing on the doorstep of their apartment, breathing heavily, clutching the bag.
“What did you forget?” Amy asked as she came out to the hallway.
“I forgot!” he hurled the bag of clothes at her feet. “This is where our wedding money went? I told you we couldn’t afford to start a shop.”
“I can explain! It’s not what you think!” Amy tried to defend herself. “The wedding money is in the savings account.”
“We’re going to withdraw it right now!” Alex said firmly. “Get ready!”
“Let’s do it tomorrow. I have a lot to do today…”
“Get ready!” Alex insisted.
“There’s only an hour until the bank closes,” Amy pointed out, glancing at the clock on the wall.
“Amy!”
She reluctantly went to her room and slowly started getting dressed, hoping to delay as much as possible.
“Can you hurry up?” Alex shouted impatiently.
“I can’t,” Amy came out, looking dejected. “I broke a nail.”
Alex cursed a few times, realizing they wouldn’t make it to the bank today, and waved his hand.
“We’ll go tomorrow!” he declared. “If the money isn’t there, we’re done.”
“Alright,” Amy replied, smiling while frantically trying to figure out how to come up with five thousand pounds by tomorrow to cover her tracks.
She called all her family and friends and, with their help, managed to scrape together half the amount.
She had no idea where she could get the rest. Amy realized she was facing a breakup instead of a wedding.
When Alex returned, and as they were about to head to the bank, Amy blurted out:
“You’re right, I lied. I spent the wedding money on buying clothes, but I’ll sell them and make even more back.”
“I don’t want anything to do with a liar!” Alex said, his eyes cold and distant as he turned and left the apartment.
Alex didn’t come home that night. Amy tried calling him, but he didn’t pick up.
Realizing it was over, she packed her things and returned to her parents’ house.
She didn’t tell anyone about what happened between her and Alex.
For about a week, Amy hoped Alex would cool off and forgive her, as he had done many times before.
However, this time, he showed no interest in her life, and Amy understood she’d lost him because of her actions.
Alex paid off the loan in a year and a half and married another woman, one who valued him for more than just his pocket.
