Chapter 27 Evan
TWENTY-SEVEN
EVAN
The front door opens and a few seconds later, Isaac pulls me into his arms. It comforts me knowing he has a key, so he can come and go as he pleases.
He did the same for me. It was a big step for us, but one I’m glad we took.
It’s one more brick out of my wall and one more leap away from Mike’s hold.
I turn to face Isaac and give him a quick kiss before turning back to the pot on the stove.
“What are you making?” he asks, looking over my shoulder.
“Chicken noodle soup. Early November is the perfect time of year for the first pot of soup back home. I was feeling nostalgic, so I made some.”
“Sounds and smells delicious.”
“How’s Aiden?” his accident was almost a week ago and we’ve been getting daily updates. Poor Isaac is still worried. He’s like his mom in that respect. I don’t think he’ll be completely convinced until he sees Aiden.
“A little better. I talked to him this morning. The surgery went well yesterday. He’s in a good bit of pain today, but they are managing it.
Dad said if there are no complications, he will go home in three or four days.
They are going to have to rent a van to get him home.
The car is too small for him to stretch out in for the three-hour drive. ”
“I’m glad to hear he’s improving.”
“Me, too.” Isaac gets a bottle of water from the refrigerator and walks over to the kitchen table to relax while I tend to the soup.
“Evan?” Isaac questions, concern lacing my name. “What is this?”
I glance over to where he’s standing. Embarrassment heats my face when I realize what I left on the kitchen table in full view. Then anger hits me and I drop the wooden spoon. It hits the edge of the counter then falls to the floor, splattering soup all over the front of the cabinet.
“Why the fuck are you invading my privacy?” I snap, grabbing the paper from his hands. “This is none of your business.”
“You’re the one who left it on the table,” he argues.
“That doesn’t give you the right to look at it.”
“It wasn’t on purpose. That enormous number wasn’t easy to ignore.”
“Well, fucking ignore it,” I bark as I fold the credit card bill and shove it in my pocket. Then I return to the stove. Ignoring the mess I made, I take another spoon out of the drawer and pretend the soup needs my undivided attention.
After several minutes, Isaac comes up behind me and wraps his arms around me.
“Put the spoon down,” he whispers calmly.
I pause for several seconds while he waits, never letting go of me.
Slowly, I place the spoon on the rest. Isaac gently guides me away from the stove before turning me to face him.
“I’m sorry. You’re right, I shouldn’t have looked at your bill. I can’t change what happened or forget what I saw. Talk to me. Are you in trouble?”
“You just saw a credit card bill for over fifty thousand dollars. What do you think?”
“Is that the only one?”
I swallow hard before answering. “No,” I state simply.
Isaac stares at me, waiting for me to say more.
I sigh heavily “It’s the highest, but I have three others all around twenty thousand.
Plus, my car payment. It’s the only reason I rent my apartment.
I couldn’t get approved for a loan to purchase a house. ”
“Jesus, Evan, that’s more than a hundred thousand in debt. How did that happen?”
“Well, excuse the fuck out of me for not making five million dollars a year catching a damn ball.”
“Fifteen,” he mumbles.
“What?”
“Never mind.”
“Wait. Are you saying you make fifteen million dollars a year?”
“That’s not important.”
I scoff as I push away from Isaac. “You need to go.”
“Fuck, no! We need to talk about this.”
“No, we don’t. I’m drowning under my debt and you’re banking millions. We are not the same.”
“Please let me help you.”
“Absolutely not. I’m not taking money from you.”
“Good because I’m not offering to pay your debt. I am offering to help you budget and crawl out of the hole you dug.”
“What do you know about budgeting?”
“I grew up very poor and had to think about every penny I spent. I worked in high school and gave most of that money to my parents to help pay bills. My first two years in the NFL, I lived in the cheapest place I could find and saved every penny possible until I had enough saved to help my parents and brothers. I pay for Aiden to go to college, and I bought my parents a home, so they could stop renting. I still save a bunch of money every year and share it with my family. When I bought my home, I found something modest. The only reason I chose a gated community is for safety. I don’t need crazy fans or paparazzi following me and invading my personal life. I know how to budget. I can help you.”
“No, you can’t. I’ve been accumulating debt for years. Every time I try to pay shit off, I end up doing great for a couple of months then I find something I can’t live without, and I buy it.”
“What are you buying?” he asks, looking around my minimalist apartment. I have very little furniture, dishes, or décor.”
I drop my head unable to look him in the eyes.
He’s never going to understand. This is where our relationship will likely end.
He’ll get to see the real me, things I keep hidden from everyone.
Isaac reaches over, placing a finger under my chin and slowly lifting my face to his.
Then he presses a gentle kiss on my lips before taking my hand and leading me to the couch.
“Please talk to me. I can see the hurt and fear in your eyes. I’m not going to judge you. I love you, Evan, and I want to help you.”
After several minutes, I finally whisper, “Bourbon.” It’s one simple word. Admission of a problem I’ve been hiding for the past six years.
“What?” He stares at me in complete shock, opening and closing his mouth several times. “Do you have a drinking problem? I’ve only seen you drunk twice and it was because we had a few too many glasses of wine.”
“I don’t have a drinking problem. I have a purchasing problem.
I’ve taken trips to almost every bourbon distillery in the country.
I purchase high-end bourbons and have shelves and shelves of the stuff in my closet.
I enjoy it, but I buy it a lot faster than I drink it.
Between the trips and the bottles, I’ve managed to run up quite the credit card debt. ”
“How much do you spend on these bottles of bourbon? I’ve seen some at the store for hundreds of dollars.”
A humorless laugh escapes me, “No, hundreds is for the minor leagues. I play with the big boys. I have bottles that cost as much as eight and ten thousand dollars.”
Isaac chokes at my admission, “Ten thousand dollars for a bottle of liquor?”
“The one I’m dying to get my hands on is a bottle of 40-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon that sells for eighteen thousand. There are only about a hundred bottles in existence.”
Isaac stares at me wide-eyed. I get it. It’s hard for most people to understand spending that kind of money on alcohol.
“Evan,” he finally starts. “You can’t keep doing this.”
“Don’t you think I know that? I can’t help it. I’ve tried. I have zero self-control.”
“That’s not true. You have plenty of restraint when it comes to other things in your life. Why is this different?” he asks.
“I’m not sure.”
“Okay, well, let’s try to make a plan for how to get the debt paid off. Do you have any savings?”
“A little. Every month I’m torn between paying extra on my credit card bills or adding some to savings. Most months, by the time I pay the minimums and my other bills, there isn’t much left.”
“Can I see your bills and help you make a plan?”
“I guess.” I want Isaac to help me because I will never be able to do it on my own, but I don’t want him to see how bad things are for me.
Reluctantly, I go to my bedroom to get my computer and the stack of bills sitting next to it.
I set everything up at the kitchen table and step back so Isaac can look through it all.
While he peruses my bills, periodically asking questions, I busy myself finishing dinner preparation.
I mix up a box of cornbread and put it in the oven while the soup simmers.
“Come sit,” he instructs after over an hour.
After pulling the cornbread from the oven, I drop into the chair next to him, terrified to hear what he’s going to say.
“You make good money and if you follow my plan, we can get you out of this debt in no time.”
I don’t believe Isaac, but instead of telling him that, I respond, “Okay, let’s hear it.”
“You have fifteen thousand in your savings account. Close the account and use it to pay off this credit card,” he says handing me the lowest one that’s just over seventeen thousand.
“I know depleting your savings can be scary, but I think in the long run, it will be for the best. It’s not earning you any interest, so I don’t see the point.
You have your 401k investments, and your car is relatively new.
There shouldn’t be any major expenses coming your way anytime soon and if you have any health-related stuff come up, you have insurance. ”
“Okay, but my saving won’t pay that bill completely.”
“No, but you have other expenses you can cut. Do you need eight different streaming services and two music services?”
“Not really.” I shrug. “I only use one of my music apps and I tend to use two or three of the streaming services more than the others.”
We work through each bill over the next hour.
By the time we finish, I have cut my monthly expenses down by over a thousand dollars.
I had no idea I was wasting so much money each month on crap I rarely use.
Cutting out those expenses and closing my savings account will leave me with enough money to pay off the entire debt on the lowest card during the next billing cycle.
If I follow Isaac’s budget, use coupons when I go to the grocery store, and stop using my credit cards, my debt will be paid off in about a year.
Maybe a little longer. Then I can start banking money each month and save for those expensive bottles that I want.
The more I think about it, the bourbon might mean a little more to me if I work for it rather than taking the easy way and charging it.
What felt like the easy way for so many years, got me in massive amounts of debt that does nothing but stress me out.
Relief washes over me. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.
I’m a little overwhelmed and shocked that this is doable.
I can’t believe I can afford to pay off my debt so quickly.
“Thank you,” I tell Isaac before leaning in for a kiss.
“You’re welcome. Let’s eat. I’m starving.”
The chicken noodle soup is going to be delicious. It’s even better when it has time to simmer. Isaac is going to love this recipe. I ladle soup into two bowls and hand one to Isaac. It fills my heart to feed my man.