I Funded Her for Ten Years—Now She'll Pay

Leaving my parents' place, I drove back to my own neighborhood.

I'd barely parked and started for the building when I ran straight into Connor and Mamie.

Connor's face was livid. The moment he saw me, he charged over.

"Ruby, what the hell is this supposed to mean?!"

"What gives you the right to freeze my card?!"

I looked at him, cold.

"Let me make one thing clear. That's my card."

"When I freeze my own card, do I need to report it to you?"

Connor's face went red with anger, and for a long moment he couldn't come up with a single word to throw back at me.

Mamie saw it and stepped in at once, hooking her arm through his.

"What do you mean, your card?"

"Ruby, don't think I don't know. Connor told me everything. The reason you get to live the life you live is because he's been out there breaking his back all these years."

"I can't believe you'd be this ungrateful, using the fact that you're married to him to get your hands on Connor's money!"

She turned to Connor, her face full of heartache.

"Connor, a woman like this isn't worth you."

"All she'll ever do is drag you down. Just divorce her already!"

Inside, I laughed to myself. A few days ago she was calling him "uncle," and now it was "Connor" this and "Connor" that with every breath.

It was the middle of the evening rush, and the neighborhood was full of people coming and going.

Hearing the argument, they started stopping and gathering around.

The second Mamie saw the crowd, her eyes went red and she pointed at me.

"Everyone, please, be the judge of this."

"She promised she'd fund me all the way through college."

"But right before the semester started, she turned around and said if I wanted to keep the money, I'd have to do what she told me."

"To go... to go keep company with those rich old men she introduced!"

"If Connor hadn't stepped in and offered to fund me for nothing, I might have..."

And with that Mamie covered her mouth and began to weep softly.

The way the neighbors looked at me changed in an instant.

"Oh, would you believe it. She always looks so polished, and behind everyone's back she's running a pimp operation like this!"

"You really can't know a person by their face. She always seemed so easygoing. How can she be this vicious inside?"

"Exactly. She has a daughter of her own. How could she be so heartless to somebody else's innocent girl!"

Listening to the muttering all around, Connor stepped up and, with a faintly smug tone, said in a low voice:

"Ruby, you hear that? The public sees clearly."

"I'm warning you. Unfreeze that card for me right now, and I can still smooth things over for you. Don't let this blow up into something you can't fix."

"And stop giving Mamie a hard time, or I really will think about divorcing you!"

I looked at Connor and laughed out loud.

"Fine."

"Let's divorce. But you leave with nothing."

Connor froze.

Mamie suddenly shrieked.

"Ruby, in your dreams!"

"You're nothing but a lazy parasite. All the money is Connor's!"

"If anyone's leaving empty-handed, it should be you!"

I looked at her and gave a light scoff.

"Mamie, I know you're after a rich meal ticket."

"But before you sank your hooks into my husband, did it not occur to you to run a background check?"

"Take a good look at who's actually earning the money in this house!"