Page 65 of The Me I Left Behind

“She’s great. She’s landed an internship at a medical facility in New Mexico. And yes, she mentioned Carol texted her the other day.”

“I’m glad Carol has someone else to talk to.”

Julia touched Maggie’s hand. “I’m sure Hannah won’t steer her wrong. She takes her counseling degree seriously.”

Maggie smiled. “Please tell her thanks.”

“I will.” Julia looked back at the menu. “Let’s order. It’s on me. I’m starving.”

“Oh no. I can pick it up. I have cash.” She didn’t use credit cards for things she didn’t want Max to know she was buying—like lunch with her attorney.

“Save it.” Julia smiled. “I’ll put it on your bill—you know, the one Max is going to pay in the end.”

Maggie laughed and grabbed her menu. “I like the sound of that.”

“In fact, Maggie,” Julia added, “It’s probably not a bad idea for you to save back as much cash as you can, if that’s possible. I don’t know how you and Max work the finances.”

“Why?”

“In case he cuts you off.”

“Oh, he wouldn’t.”Would he?

“He might. I’ve seen it happen, going both ways, depending on which spouse is the major breadwinner. People worry about not having a partner to contribute to the expenses, so they start the money-grab. And in a way, that’s what I’m telling you to do, but it’s okay, because Max is a motherfucking asshole.”

Maggie laughed, then turned serious. “But he wouldn’t do that, would he? That would put the kids in jeopardy.”

Julia gave a shrug. “Divorce does crazy things to people.”

So does marriage.

She’d not had to worry about money for a long time, so she was just used to having it. What if she didn’t? She met Julia’s searching gaze. “I have a credit card for household supplies, groceries, things for the kids, gas, and all that. And we have a joint checking account. Max puts the money in, and I take out a monthly allowance to have cash around the house should I need it, for incidentals, kids’ allowances, their activities, and such.”

“Max agreed to a set amount for the month?”

“Yes. A thousand dollars.”

“How long have you been doing that?”

Maggie thought for a moment. “He raised the amount over the years as the kids got older, but the thousand has been for a couple of years, or maybe three. He started doing that when Carol started school.”

Julia nodded. “So, the pattern has been established for what? A dozen years?”

“Yes.”

“That’s a good thing. A plus for you.”

“Great.”

“Try to save as much of that as possible,” Julia cautioned. “If you can.”

Maggie exhaled. “Right. I will do that. I have saved some already. I try to keep a few hundred put back.”

Julia gave her a nod, then opened her menu. “Let’s see what they have here.”

“Sure. I only had coffee earlier, so am ready for some protein.”

They perused the menu and ordered—Maggie, a breakfast combo with eggs and sausage and hash browns, and Julia ayogurt parfait and an oatmeal cookie—and they settled down to business.