Our House of Cards: He Thought He Left Me with Nothing

KORA VANCE I sat across from the man I had loved for more than twenty years and watched him busy typing away on his phone as his lawyer handed me the divorce papers. It had been a month since I last saw him. I had asked him for a divorce hoping that would remind him of everything we had been through and how hard we worked to build that company.Instead, I got divorce papers and an impossible choice. Divorce, sign away my rights to the kids and get the money. Or divorce, keep the kids and leave with nothing. Now sitting across from me, it was like we didn’t exist. He had not spared us a glance since we walked in, he kept smiling and tying at his phone as if what we were there for was just a waste of his time. “My client has made himself clear, please don’t waste time.”His expensive arrogant lawyer placed the document in front of me. I looked at the contrast between my children and I and the man who was now giving me an ultimatum. He was polished and looked sharp in his designer suit.

KORA I booked a room at the motel closer to the convenient store I worked part time at. It was what I could afford, and it also made it easier to commute from work to the kids’ school. Bad was not an appropriate word to describe the place. Paint on the walls was chirped and peeling off. The carpet in the room had stains on it.The bedding had funny smell to it. The couch looked at if it were picked up from the dumpster. But it was bigger than the tiny basement place Derick and I rented while in college and working part-time jobs to make rent, tuition and food. Back then the walls were just as ugly, the furniture just as cheap and the food just as scarce.The difference was that back then, I had Derick beside me and a future ahead of me. Now, I am a single mother trying to make ends meet. What I liked was the fact that my children didn’t complain about it and made a fuss about wanting their own rooms.I was worried about them, but it seemed they understood more than I gave them credit

KORA “Kora, do you see the long queue on your cash register? Why are you so slow, this is cashing out things not art, work faster!” it was the weekend, there was a football game at the nearby college, and all those kids now filled the store. It wasn’t that I was slow, it was them taking things and when they see the price they wanted to remove some.That made me take longer with each of them. “Hey! You answer me when I am talking to you.” Josh could be annoying sometimes. He wanted me to work faster now he wanted me to stop what I was doing and look him in the eyes while answering him. “You said to be quick, I am trying to work as fast as I can and if I look at you while working. I am afraid I will make mistakes I can’t afford to make.”He glared at me. “I see you don’t want this job, your attitude says you have options. Fine! You don’t have to come back tomorrow!” my actions paused, I needed that job, it was the only thing keeping a roof over our heads and food in our bellies. If I l

KORA The following day, I dropped off the kids at school as usual. After dropping Wendy, I went to the office to pay for the trip. I asked for her teacher to be called. She came and was respectful. “Teacher, I came to pay for Wendy.” She nodded taking a book writing her name down. I hesitated before taking out the eighty dollars out of my pocket.It was everything we owned. I hoped the fuel I had in my car would be enough to pick them up after school, but I was sure it wouldn’t last until tomorrow. I had to find a way to get fuel so I could be able to take them to school and buy them something to eat. “I have eighty dollars on me right now; I will pay the remaining twenty dollars in the morning when I drop her off.”I was expecting attitude, a frown, a confused look since they know whose daughter Kora was. But the teacher gave me respect. “That is not a problem, just bring it in the morning, it had to be paid in full before we leave.” My chest tightened. it was the first time since t

KORA It was a normal day at work. At least I thought it was. I was busy at the register scanning customers groceries and trying to keep my mind occupied when I noticed Josh walking past my aisle again. He looked at me; I caught him staring. The moment our eyes met, he quickly looked away and pretended to be busy fixing something on the shelf.I frowned, that was strange. Josh had done it several times that morning. Every time I caught him watching me, he would suddenly find something else to. had I done something wrong? I quickly dismissed the thought. Josh was straightforward. If I had made a mistake, he wouldn’t hesitate to chew me out, even in front of the customers.What was going on? I felt his eyes on me again. I glanced toward him, but he was already pretending to be busy. “Are you alright?” The voice of the woman standing in front of me pulled me back to reality. I forced a smile. “Yes, I am okay. Thank you for asking. I scanned the last few items in her basket and handed he