Page 15 of We All Live Here
“So that’s really why I was calling.”
“What?”
Dan sighs heavily, as if even having to discuss this is causing him pain. “We will probably need to move at some point. Somewhere a little bigger. And things are not great at the magazine right now. There’s talk of redundancies. I’m fairly confident I’ll hold on to my job, but my monthly commitments are pretty horrendous.”
Are we a “monthly commitment” now?she thinks.
“I mean that when the new baby comes I’m probably not going to be able to pay as much as I have been.”
There is a brief silence.
“What?”
“I’m paying more than I’m legally required to as it is.”
“Dan, they’re your kids.”
“I know. And I know you’ve taken a knock with the writing so that’s why I’ve been trying to pay as much as I can. But I spoke to a lawyer and she says I have a legal obligation to make sure all the children are treated equally—”
“Allthe children?”
“Well, Marja and I are a couple now so I have to include Hugo. It’s not like his dad exactly steps up. So that’s four children to support, which is quite a lot. And Marja and I definitely need another bedroom.This place only has three, as you know, and you’re in a five-bedroom place—”
“Dan, I am not selling this house.”
“I’m not asking you to sell the house.”
“I paid for this with the book money. It’s our children’shome.”
“I know. I’m not saying anything about your house. Just that I’m not going to be able to pay quite as much in support.”
She blinks. “How much less?”
“Probably five hundred a month.”
She is silenced by this sum.
“I’ll need to get another mortgage. And with rates what they are I’m not likely to get a great deal. I’m really sorry, Lils. But the money situation is what it is. You were always the bigger earner, and I was fine with leaving you and the girls in the house.”
“My house. Our house. And I’m barely earning.”
“Anyway, I just wanted to give you a heads-up. I’ll look at what I’m legally required to pay, and hope I’ll be able to give you a bit more than that.”
She puts the phone down on him. She feels winded. She sees the expenses coming toward her that she could barely afford with Dan’s input and now?How is this fair?She wants to yell.How is it fair that you get to walk out and have a lovely new family and we all have to suffer?She drops her head into her hands.
And then Bill’s face appears around the door. “Sorry to interrupt, Lila darling, but Jensen is here.”
She looks up and blinks.
“The landscape gardener.”
A man’s face appears around the corner, just behind Bill’s. It’s softer than she remembers, slightly dirt-sprinkled, with a thatch of sandy hair. “Hi—I just wondered if you had five minutes to pop outside so we could talk about what needs doing. By the way your tree out front is starting to lean. You’ll need to do something about that.”
“I know. I have to do something about everything.” Her voice is a snap and she sees Bill’s eyebrows shoot up.
Jensen seems not to notice. “I think it’s possibly dying. Either way I’d suggest getting a tree surgeon to take a look. I know a guy whose rates aren’ttooastronomical.”
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