Chapter 3 - Declined
The first phone call came at 11:42 a.m. the next morning.
I was in my home office, reviewing a client contract. Mira was resting in the bedroom, finally getting some peaceful sleep after the stress of the previous night.
My phone vibrated on the desk. The caller ID read: Celeste Arden.
I let it ring three times before I picked it up. “Hello, Celeste.”
“Nathan,” she said, her voice tight but attempting to sound casual. “I am at the pharmacy. There seems to be an issue with my card. The terminal says it is declined.”
She didn't mention the dinner. She didn't ask how Mira was doing. Her first concern was the plastic rectangle that had suddenly stopped working.
“There is no issue with the card,” I said, my voice steady. “The account has been closed.”
Silence stretched on the other end of the line.
“Closed?” she finally said, a sharp edge cutting through her polite facade. “What do you mean, closed? Nathan, I have prescriptions to pick up. This is incredibly inconvenient.”
“You will have to use another payment method, Celeste. I am no longer funding that account.”
“Is this about last night?” She let out a small, condescending laugh. “Are you throwing a tantrum because I told Mira to mind her manners? This is incredibly childish, Nathan. You cannot just cut off family because you are upset.”
“I am not upset,” I replied. “And I am not throwing a tantrum. I made a financial decision for my family. My immediate family. Mira and our daughter.”
“You are being ridiculous. Turn the card back on. People are staring at me.”
“No.”
“Excuse me?”
“The answer is no, Celeste. You told Mira that pregnancy does not give her permission to disrupt a family dinner. I am telling you that sharing DNA with my wife does not give you permission to disrupt my bank account. Have a good afternoon.”
I hung up.
Before she could call back, I blocked her number on my phone.
Ten minutes later, Mira walked into the office. She was holding a mug of decaf tea, looking better than she had the night before. She saw the expression on my face.
“Who was that?” she asked softly.
“Your mother,” I said. “Her card was declined at the pharmacy.”
Mira’s eyes widened. A familiar panic flashed across her face. “Nathan... did you cut them off? She’s going to be furious. She’s going to make our lives miserable.”
I stood up and walked over to her. I took the mug from her shaking hands and set it on the desk. Then, I held her shoulders, looking directly into her eyes.
“Mira, listen to me. She can only make our lives miserable if we let her. She has no power over us. None. Her power came from your fear, and her comfort came from my wallet. I took the wallet away. You just have to let go of the fear.”
“But Howard... Bryce...”
May you like
“Howard will have to pay his own bills. Bryce will have to get a job. They are adults. It is time they started living like it.”
Mira took a deep breath. For the first time in the three years I had known her, the apology did not come to her lips. Instead, a small, fragile sense of relief began to dawn in her eyes.
