He Gave My Bedroom to His Ex ,So I Gave Him a Divorce

Ten years of rotating shifts at the mill, and I'd finally been assigned an apartment.

On moving day, my husband, Lester Rowe, walked his childhood sweetheart, Laurel Gilbert, through the door instead. Two suitcases trailed behind her.

"Laurel just got divorced. There's really no room for her at her parents' place, so it works out. She can stay with us."

I went stiff. I stood there looking at the new apartment I'd just finished cleaning, swallowing my anger. "There's only one bedroom. Where exactly do you want Laurel to sleep?"

Laurel's eyes went red, and she spoke in that careful, small voice of hers. "I know you don't want me here. But I've got nowhere else to go. I'll just set up a folding cot in the living room, that's all. I won't get in your way, I promise."

Lester looked at her instantly, all tenderness. "You're not well. How can you sleep in the living room? This bedroom gets the morning sun and it's roomy. You take it."

I actually laughed, it was that absurd. He ached over Laurel's poor health, but he'd conveniently forgotten that my back had been bad for years because of my job.

"Lester, if Laurel takes the bedroom, then where do we sleep? The two of us crammed onto a folding cot in the living room?"

Something ugly crossed his face. "Enough. I'm the head of this household, and this is settled. Laurel takes the bedroom, you set up a folding cot in the living room, and I'll stay in the dorm at school."

"We're all comrades here. Laurel's going through a hard time. You can't be so petty about it."

"If you keep throwing these tantrums, then this marriage really can't go on. I mean it."

To keep Laurel here, he was actually using divorce as a threat. I didn't say a word. I went to the factory administrative office and got the official divorce referral paperwork.

This apartment had been approved by the mill on the strength of my seniority. Without my say-so, every last one of you can get out of my apartment.

...

Seeing me go quiet, Lester assumed I'd caved. Something smug flickered at the corner of his eye. "See, you should've just agreed from the start instead of making a scene. Go put the new silk bedding set on for Laurel. That one's soft. Laurel's used to nice things."

My hands curled into fists inside my sleeves. He had his eye on my bedding set now.

"My mother saved for three months to buy that for me at the downtown department store. It's meant for me."

Lester scoffed, not the least bit concerned. "I know it's from the department store, that's exactly why I want you to hand it over for Laurel. As for you, you've got thick hide. You've made do with plain cotton all these years, haven't you? What's the fuss? "

"Besides, a textile worker pounding away at a machine in the workshop all day, you think you'd even know what to do with fine things?"

So in his eyes, I didn't deserve nice things.

Lester saw my face go pale and realized he'd come down a little hard. He softened his tone. "I just say what's on my mind, that's all. Don't be so touchy."

"Laurel's used to nice things. She can't stand that plain cotton, it breaks her skin out in a rash. Have a little sympathy."

"I'll save up and buy you another set later, that's all."

So because Laurel was used to nice things, the nice things had to go to her.

And because I was used to the cheap ones, I could only ever have the cheap ones.

But by what right? This apartment was assigned to me by the mill. The bedding set was something my mother bought to celebrate my moving into the new place.

Why did everything that was mine have to go to Laurel?

"I don't need you to buy me anything. If she wants a set, you can pay for one yourself. And this apartment was assigned to me by the mill. How it gets used, that's mine to decide, no one else's."

Lester saw my sudden hardening and his face turned very ugly. "What is that supposed to mean?"

I lifted my head and looked at him coldly. "What do you think?"

"You're not afraid that—"

I cut him off. "Divorce. I agree."