Dave jumped out of bed and ran by a stunned James

James confronted Belinda for an explanation

Their is no point she said I don’t love you anymore

Since when? he asked, she defiantly shook her head before answering

I have not loved you for years but you were too dumb to notice

I am going to live with Dave and I want a divorce

James was heartbroken and felt totally numb

She packed a suitcase and left without a goodbye

There was nothing James could do to stop her

He kept to his usual work routine to keep himself busy

Belinda being gone made little difference as he hardly ever saw her before

He was upset that she was cheating on him and very angry at Dave

Then he remembered that Dave always asked him about his plans for the week ahead

Using their Sunday golf game as a cover to find out if Belinda would be home alone the next day

A few weeks later James got a letter from her divorce lawyer

There was a lot of legal mumbo jumbo which James found confusing

A work colleague recommended a lawyer to James

After several meetings with his lawyer they reached a separation agreement

There was hardly any money left in their joint savings account

Belinda had either spent it or hidden it away over the years

She had also ran up massive credit card debts for which James had to assume half

She was demanding half the equity from the house

James was able to raise the money by remortgaging the house

He breathed a sigh of relief when the divorce was finalized

The increased mortgage payments along with household expenses was more than he had budgeted

He cut down on all non-essentials and severely limited his food budget

But the credit card bills kept getting bigger every month

James was soon in a debt spiral with no viable financial rescue plan

He contemplated filing for bankrupsy and selling the house

Imagining what it would be like to live in the back of his small car

He set himself a deadline of the end of the year to figure out a plan

December came around fast and James had not solved his debt problem

He spent Christmas alone eating cheap meals in a cold empty house

The TV had been sold together with anything else of value

There was only one week left before his end of year deadline

Belinda had left some clothes behind and James decided it was time to dispose of them

He gathered them up into a bag to take to goodwill

Upon checking the pocket of an old coat he felt something

There was an envelope containing $200 in cash with a withdrawal slip

He studied the slip and noted it was from their joint savings account before they separated

James kept the cash, turned up the heating and treated himself to a delicious meal

He felt slightly guilty for not sharing the cash with Belinda