Gravely Ill and Broke, My Wife Demanded a Written Request for Money

After my shift ended, I went straight out to run food deliveries.

By the time I got home it was already past two in the morning.

My head was pounding. I checked my blood pressure. The top number was already 180.

I looked for my pills and found the bottle empty.

I woke my wife. Give me fifty bucks. I need to buy my blood pressure medicine.

She hated being woken up. She shot me a glare, and when she opened her mouth the smell that came out was like an open sewer. "Did you write the request form?"

I had no choice. "I'll write it now."

She snapped at me. "Even if you write it now, you're not getting it. We'll talk after I've had my sleep!"

She shoved me out of the bedroom and locked the door behind her.

Grief and anger churned in me. I felt like I was about to die right there. Then I saw the coin jar sitting on the shoe cabinet.

So I took fifty dollars, dragged my body, which felt like it could give out any second, to the 24-hour pharmacy, bought the pills, and only felt a little better after I took them.

When I got back home, all I could do was sleep on the couch.

But somewhere in my sleep, I suddenly felt cold. I opened my eyes and saw my wife holding a basin.

She had just thrown a basin of cold water over me.

And I saw a lot of people in the room. Neighbors. The building manager. And the police.

And my mother.

Seeing that I was awake, my wife pointed at me and started screaming. "A man who can't provide for his family, and he steals my money too. Officers, can't you haul him off to jail?"

1.

My wife pointed at the coin jar on the shoe cabinet, white spit gathering at the corners of her mouth.

"That's the money I've been saving for our son. You've got the nerve to steal even that?"

"A man who's sunk as low as you, you'd be better off dying out on the street!"

The neighbor lady, cracking sunflower seeds, asked, "You two split the money that carefully in your house?"

My wife sneered.

"Back when he controlled the money, I had to write a request form to spend a single cent."

"If Everard Lawrence was in a good mood, he'd approve it. If he wasn't, he'd turn me down."

"Now I control the money, and the old rules don't change. He wants to spend, he writes a request form!"

The old man from next door frowned. "Then it serves you right. How you treat other people is how they treat you back."

My mother couldn't help asking, "Everard, what did you take the money for?"

"I got home from deliveries last night and my top number was 180. I was out of blood pressure medicine."

I took out the telmisartan I'd bought the night before.

"What?"

"You buy medicine and that means you don't have to write a request form?"

"So back when you controlled the money, why did I have to write a request form just to buy sanitary pads?"

My wife screamed with her hands on her hips.

I had nothing to say.

My mother hurried to soothe her. "Renee Pruitt, sweetie, forgive him this once. It was for medicine after all. High blood pressure can kill a person."

Renee pointed at my mother and threatened, "So you want to take charge, is that it? Fine. From now on, you handle everything in this house, and I'll handle nothing. You raise the kid, you do the school runs!"

My mother went silent at once, gave me an apologetic look, and turned and walked out.

Renee turned back to the police. "Officers, I have just one demand. Take the thief away!"

"Ma'am, you're husband and wife, and it's only fifty dollars. This is a bit much, isn't it?"

"Besides, this doesn't amount to a criminal offense. Even if he'd stolen from a stranger, it would be a verbal warning at most, or a fine."

A male officer explained.

Renee wasn't happy, but she didn't try to argue the officers in circles. Instead she laid out her terms.

"Fine, don't take him away!"

"Then he admits his mistake in front of the whole complex!"

"And he has to apologize to me three days running!"

The officer looked over at me, clearly uncomfortable. "In a case like this, writing a pledge should be enough, right?"

"No!"

"If you won't handle it, I'll go down to the station myself!"

Renee sneered.

I let out a sigh, stood up, and said, "I agree."

"But I still have work. Can I do it when I get a day off?"

I asked with my head down.

Renee glanced at the time and said, "It's only just past five. Go stand in the middle of the courtyard right now and say out loud everything you did wrong!"

"My blood pressure's off because I don't sleep. Please, Renee, just let me sleep a little longer."

There were no tears left in me, only the wish for them.

"You won't do as I say?"

"Fine."

She pointed at me and started straight for the bedroom. "I'll take your son and jump off this building right now. You just wait!"

"Fine, I'll go!"

I sighed. I didn't even change. I walked out the door in the wet clothes I still had on.

The nosy neighbors trailed behind me, and the police, afraid something might happen, came along too.

I found a spot near the middle of the courtyard. Several times I tried to open my mouth, and nothing came out.

A crowd stood around me. It was too humiliating.

Renee appeared in front of me holding our son. She pinched his thigh hard, and he burst out crying.

"Everard, this is your last chance!"

"Now. This instant. Right now. Shout it out loud, what you did wrong!"

I let out a breath. I couldn't stand to see my son suffer.

"I was wrong"

"Who are you?"

Renee cut me off sharply.

"I'm Everard, and I was wrong!"

"I shouldn't have taken fifty dollars from the coin jar to buy blood pressure pills!"

"I should have written a request form first, and only bought them once my wife approved it!"

"I was wrong. I hope my wife can forgive me!"

Everyone was looking at me, and every look was tangled with something.

Some pitied me. Some were laughing at me.

To a lot of them, the way they looked at me was the way you look at a man his wife walks all over.

I didn't dare look at anyone. I turned to Renee and asked, "Is that enough?"

"You catch your ride to work at seven-thirty, so you apologize until seven-thirty!"

"You leave one minute early and you'll never see your son again!"

With that, Renee turned and left.

My head was spinning. At least I had my pills on me. With no water, I swallowed them with my own spit, and that eased it a little.

Then I started apologizing again, over and over, without a shred of dignity.

Everyone passing by would watch me for a while.

Some stopped and filmed me on their phones.

I didn't dare stop, because if I stopped, Renee would take it out on our son again.

At seven-thirty I hurried home to change into clean clothes for work.

But at the door I found it hadn't shut all the way, and I could hear my wife and my mother-in-law talking inside.

My mother-in-law was pleading. "Everard treats you well. Can't you stop stirring things up?"

Renee gave a cold laugh. "Treats me well? He has to write a request form just to buy me pads. You call that treating me well?"

My mother-in-law sighed.

Renee went on. "Everything his mother put me through, I'm going to make him pay it all back!"

My mother-in-law sounded helpless. "Everard's a man. You made him apologize in front of all those people, with all of them filming it. How is he supposed to show his face after this?"

Renee's voice climbed higher. "You're my mother. You won't help me, you'll help him?"

I couldn't listen anymore. I pushed the door open and walked in.

Renee glared at me. "You heard?"

I shook my head and changed the subject. "I have to get to work. I need to change into clean clothes."

Renee pointed at the suit hanging outside the bathroom. "Washed and pressed. Around here, laundry runs fifty and pressing runs sixty. Just give me a hundred!"

Let me owe you, then. Pay you when my salary comes in, all right?

I didn't argue at all.

Renee snorted. Your salary gets handed over to me. So what exactly are you going to pay me with?

I had no idea what to do. It was a knot that couldn't be untied. Somehow I would owe her forever.

Renee gave a cold laugh. You work in the day, you deliver food at night. What do you do at lunch? Use your lunch break to earn money, and then you can pay me back, can't you?

My mother-in-law couldn't stand it any longer. Renee, that'll work him to death!

Renee snapped at her. Are you even my mother?

I gave a bitter smile and nodded. Fine. I'll go earn money at lunch too.

Once I'd changed my clothes, I saw breakfast on the table, but I didn't dare take it. I was afraid she'd hit me up for money again.

My mother-in-law quickly got up, put the breakfast sandwiches into a bag, and handed it to me. Everard, I bought these. Take them and eat.

Bang! Renee slammed the table and jabbed a finger at me, shouting, My mother bought those for me. You touch a single bite and see what happens!

I stared at her blankly, sighed, then set the sandwiches down and walked toward the door.

Renee's voice came from behind me. This is exactly how you treated me back when I was eating!

I said nothing and just left.

I tapped my transit card. No seat, so I stood the whole way, propping up my weak body.

When I clocked in at the office, I noticed a lot of people giving me strange looks. I asked, but no one would say anything.

Back at my desk, my good buddy and subordinate knocked and came in.

Mervyn Fox set a cup of coffee in front of me, then handed over a sausage panini. Eat up.

My eyes went red. I wanted to cry, but hunger had me wolfing it down.

In under two minutes the panini was gone, and so was the coffee.

I felt a little brought back to life.

Mervyn pressed his lips together, then after a moment said, That video of you in the neighborhood has gone everywhere. Somebody even posted it in the company group chat.

All I could do was give a bitter smile and sigh. I felt like I couldn't lead my team anymore.

Mervyn sighed.

They always say talk people into staying together, not into splitting up. But brother, if you can get out, get out.

You're a director. You make almost a hundred grand a month. What kind of woman couldn't you find?

I rubbed my face hard and sighed.

If there were no kid, I'd have left long ago.

But you know how it is. I grew up with just one parent. It left me with a lot of flaws in how I turned out.

So I don't want my son growing up with one parent too. Mervyn, can you understand that?

Mervyn let out a breath and said nothing. He left a pack of cigarettes behind, clapped me on the shoulder, and walked out.

I lit one, took a hard drag, and got back to work.

At noon, Mervyn called me out to lunch. His treat.

While we ate, I spoke up, a little embarrassed. Mervyn, could you lend me five hundred?

Mervyn blinked. I'll just give it to you.

I gave a bitter smile and explained. Renee washes and irons my clothes and charges me a hundred bucks for it. I can't even offset it against my salary. She's telling me to find work at lunch too, but I'm just too tired.

When I finished, Mervyn's eyes went red. He looked ready to cry on my behalf. He didn't say a word. He went straight to the register and got me a thousand in cash.

Everard, hide this well. When it runs out, come to me again.

Mervyn pressed the money into my hand.

Before I could even thank him, I felt a fat hand clamp around mine.

I looked up and saw Renee's fleshy face, her eyes fixed dead on me.

Well, well, Everard Lawrence. I told you to go earn money at lunch, and instead you're borrowing it?

Renee snatched the money and stuffed it into her own pocket, then jabbed a finger at me, spit flying.

You worthless thing. I ask you to do a little work and you're whining that you're tired?

Back when you forced me to do all the work, did you ever think you'd end up here?

You go earn money right now, or you know exactly what I'll do!

"Renee, that's enough!"

Mervyn was on his feet.

But in my head all I could see was her hitting our son, and the ache came fast and hard.

I thought too about what would happen if we divorcedwhether the boy would get laughed at at school later, the way I was as a kid.

The more I thought about it, the worse I felt, and the more afraid I got.

I stood up quickly and pressed my hand over Mervyn's. "Mervyn, leave it alone."

"You"

Mervyn was so angry he was nearly in tears. He turned and walked out.

I looked at Renee. "I'll go earn money right now. I'll go shine my boss's shoes."

And with that, I turned and left.

Renee let out a cold laugh, smug. "You think I can't handle you?"

Her friend leaned in, frowning. "Renee, isn't this a bit much, treating your husband like that? He's making almost a hundred thousand a month. Aren't you afraid someone else will snatch him up?"

Renee sneered. "He grew up with one parent, and the thing he's most afraid of is his own son growing up the same way. He wouldn't dare. Besides, this is exactly how he used to treat me!"

Her friend scratched her head. "Renee, the way he treated you back thenwasn't that for both your sakes too?"

Renee glared at her. "What's that supposed to mean? You've got your eye on my husband? Taking his side now?"

Her friend had nothing to say and just walked off.

Back at the company, I knocked on my boss's door.

She was lying on the sofa taking her afternoon rest. When she saw it was me, she sat up, a little surprised. "Something wrong?"

I hesitated, then got the words out, my throat dry. "Boss, didn't you once say that if anyone was short on money, they could shine your shoes for you? II'm short on money right now."

Freda Henson blinked, then gave an awkward laugh. "That was a joke at the team retreat. You actually took it seriously?"

The thought of coming back with no money, of Renee hitting our son again, was too much. Before I could stop it, the tears just came.

"My dear director, what are you doing?"

Freda got a fright. She quickly picked up one of her heels and held it out. "Shine it, go on, shine it, I'll pay you!"

She was curious what had gotten into me, so while I worked on the shoe, I told her.

Then she gave me two hundred dollars, and mentioned, by the way, that her shoes weren't meant to be cleaned with water. I'd ruined a pair worth over a hundred thousand.

I felt terrible about it.

Back home.

I handed her a hundred dollars, pulled on my DoorDash uniform, and got ready to go run deliveries.

But Renee suddenly grabbed me and started searching me.

I wanted to push her off, but she looked straight at our son, so I just let her do it.

Out of my pockets Renee pulled a hundred dollars, a pack of cigarettes, and a box of pills.

"Where'd you get the money for cigarettes?"

Renee demanded.

I took a deep breath. "Mervyn gave them to me."

"Confiscated."

"Now go."

Renee took the money, the cigarettes, and the pills, all of it.

My throat was dry as I said, "At least give me the medicine."

"You bought it with stolen money. No."

"But I apologized!"

"You didn't write a request form!"

I shook my head, gave a bitter smile, and turned to leave.

A few more words and my blood pressure would only climb higher.

I'd barely ridden off on the scooter when I got a strange order, sent from the station, telling me to go pick something up at a private club.

An hour or so later, I reached the club.

A staff member led me to a suite, and the moment the door opened a faint fragrance slipped into my nose.

A very familiar perfume.

Freda appeared out of nowhere, waving me over. She said,

"My dear director, I was afraid you'd wear yourself out."

"Hand your uniform to the attendant and let him run your deliveries for you."

"Come inside. Let me get you something good to eat."