My ex-husbands son from his second marriage has fallen ill, and lo and behold, my ex decided it would be just marvellous if I lent him some money. I told him, quite emphatically, absolutely not!
Im thirty-seven, divorced for a decade, and honestly, its felt like bliss compared to life before. He cheatedspectacularly soand I simply refused to forgive him. These days, he lives with the woman he left me for.
She got pregnant, had his child, and they are now a picture postcard family. After everything, Ive made it a rule not to get involved. I havent the faintest clue what goes on in their household.
Financially, Im more than comfortable. My salary is peachy, thank you very much. So you can imagine my shock when, after years of radio silence, my ex turned up on my doorstep last week. If awkward were an Olympic sport, wed have broken a world record. Before I could say, what on earth are you doing here? he starts in about his son, whos apparently been diagnosed with cancer and needs expensive treatment. He and his wife are at their wits end, skint as a boiled spud, so naturally, hes come knocking, hoping for a handout.
I do have a decent amount stashed away, thanks to selling the house my nan left me. Hed somehow sniffed this outword gets around! To him, it was perfect timing. Lucky, isnt it, how life just hands him things? For me, the cash was earmarked for a nice car (once I actually learn to drive), but for now, its just sitting pretty in my account. The amount is nothing to sniff at, and Im not about to rush into spending itor giving it away! Funny, isnt it, wondering if hed do the same for me if I were the one in trouble? I seriously doubt it.
He pleaded, Dont you understand how desperate we are? If Im honest, he never gave two hoots about my feelings, nor did his wife. Lets not forget: when the mood struck, he swapped me for her in record speed. During our divorce, he fought tooth and nail for every asset. Wanted me to cough up for his new flat, toobut thankfully, Id bought it pre-marriage, so he didnt get a penny. How he moped! And now hes here, demanding cash and waxing lyrical about his emotions.
He even offered to show me every last medical document. I told him not to botherI wasnt interested, not even close. Even if he swore blind theyd repay me, or that his son would need expensive rehabilitationit all sounded fishy, and odds of seeing my money again? Slim to nil.
Why not go to a bank? I asked.
I told himdirectly, no messing about. He had a minor meltdown, threatened to drop to his knees, but honestly, thats just tragic. Im not into dramatic reversals of fortune, and theres no need to humiliate himI simply dont want anything to do with him. He traded me in back then, so he can jolly well deal with the consequences now. He said hed come back when Id calmed down and thought it over. Chance would be a fine thing.
Some might think Im heartless, but really, I like keeping my finances under my own steam. No charity for exes! After that conversation, yes, I felt a tad guiltybut not enough to foot their bill. Consider it a lesson, poetic justice, and a proper comeuppance.
