With my ex-wife who left me for another man and is now trying to escape the consequences of what she helped cause. She winced. That’s a harsh way to put it. It’s an accurate one, I said. And the answer is no. Her voice tightened. I’m trying to get a job. No one will give me a reference after I left suddenly. Apartments require deposits I don’t have.
You’re my only option. I shook my head. No, I said I’m your easiest option. There’s a difference. She snapped the folder shut. The softness vanished. Fine, she said. Let’s talk about what I’m entitled to. We were married 3 years. Community property state. I could fight for half of what you earned. You could try, I replied. You’d lose.
She smiled like she’d caught me bluffing. You don’t know that. I do, I said. I had a lawyer file separation papers the week you left. You had 30 days to respond. You didn’t. They’re final. The color drained from her face. You’re lying. Check with any attorney. I said, “You signed away your claims by not contesting.
” Her voice dropped. That’s why you were so calm. I nodded. The day you walked out, I called Michael Reynolds. He’s thorough. She took a step back. I didn’t think you were capable of something like that. I met her stare. I learned from watching you. I said, “You were always three steps ahead when it benefited you. I just applied the same principle.
” She asked if I was really going to let her end up with nothing. I told her she still had options, just not comfortable ones. Family, friends, the man she chose. She admitted bridges were burnt, that her family wanted nothing to do with her, that friends disappeared, that Dererick’s family barely tolerated her. “Sounds like you lit every match yourself,” I said.
