Three is a crowd: Diane back in control

(Continued from last issue)

David and Diane have been married for years; then there is Julie, the young secretary whose axis collides with the couple’s in ways none of them saw coming.

DIANE

The children broke off for their holidays that Friday and it was not a moment too soon; not only had the maid’s mother supposedly suddenly fallen sick the previous evening, necessitating her to immediately head for their village, but Tracy and I were having problems at the boutique as well.

Her poor recordkeeping habits were driving me crazy, and with the stress on both these fronts, I definitely needed a time-out.

Ironically, the only thing going right with my life at the moment was my marriage. David had been on his best behaviour since the fiasco of the other night, and I had let him back into our bedroom, and been thanked by nights of incredible intimacy, and reminders of how beautiful things could be between us.

And while I had initially thought of a five-star weekend away as retribution for David having hit me, I was now just hoping it could be a way for us to build on the good position we were currently at, and reaffirm the strength of our marriage.

Of course, I was still hurt and angry that he had struck me the other night, but if there was one thing I had learned about marriage, it was that if your spouse was apologetic and remorseful over something they had done, you had to be able to find it in yourself to forgive them and move on, or you would only push them away.

At the moment I had David right where I wanted him, which was with me and the children, and I was going to make sure that I took full advantage of this weekend to keep him there.

JULIE

David did not send me the money I had asked for, until the evening before my siblings broke off for the holidays, by which time I was in a complete panic, and so desperate that I almost asked Kenneth for help, which was pretty ironic considering that I had told him the main reason I was still in a relationship with David, was that he financially supported my family and me.

I was so relieved when he finally sent it that I almost forgot how panicked, helpless and desperate I had been. I had always been able to meet my mother and siblings’ needs, and although it had obviously been a huge financial strain and a lot more difficult to do before I met David, I had been working then, and knowing that they depended on me, had always ensured that I had that covered.

It had, therefore, been a new and terrifying feeling to be in a position where I did not have money set aside for them, and an eye-opening one as well; since beginning this relationship with David, I had gotten lulled into what was now turning out to be a false sense of security that he would always readily provide whatever I needed.

I was beginning to consider the possibility that that was not necessarily true. With that realization, came thoughts I had not had to consider for a while now, mainly how I could ensure that I never again found myself in the precarious position of needing money, and not being sure where it was going to come from.

With Junior being so young, I did not want to leave him to go back to working fulltime, and besides, even if I did, it is not exactly like there were jobs falling into my lap; which brought me back to David.

If he was not willing to guarantee me a fixed source of income, then he should set me up with the means to make that money on my own.

I was not sure what was going to happen, but one thing was clear – David and I were going to have a very serious discussion about money soon.

DAVID

I sent Julie the money she had asked for; I had always intended to give it to her, but after the way she had been treating me, I did not see the need to rush, and took my time about doing so.

It was probably petty of me to keep her waiting, but with the lack of intimacy between us of late, her asking me for money, especially when it wasn’t for Junior, made me feel like she was just using me like an ATM, and it was not a good feeling.

I think what bothered me the most about it was not the money per se but, rather that she had changed so much from the sweet, innocent, undemanding, supportive young lady I had fallen in love with.

Back then, I had practically had to beg her to accept money from me, and now, not only did she demand for it, but she acted like she was entitled to it as well.

I did not mind when it was for Junior’s needs, and truth be told, I did not really mind giving her money for her family either, but when I was going that extra mile for her, I expected a lot more affection and appreciation in return.

Ironically, even though Diane was financially far more demanding than Julie was, I was not as bothered by her demands as I was by Julie’s, probably because there were no surprises there.

Just like me, she came from a relatively upper-class family background, and having been brought up in comfort, it was only natural that she continued to expect that same level of comfort in her marriage.

Besides, she had always been an ambitious go-getter and if anything, her high standards and demands had helped push me to the heights I had reached; so, rather than hold them against her, I actually appreciated them in her.

That, however, was not the case with Julie, and I was determined that once I got back from this weekend break with Diane and the children, I was going to sit down with Julie, remind her of her place, and make some demands of my own.

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