“What?” He stares at me in complete shock, opening and closing his mouth several times. “Do you have a drinkingproblem? 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 appsand 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.
TWENTY-EIGHT
ISAAC
When I leave Evan’s apartment early the next morning, I’m still reeling from this new knowledge about him. We all have our vices. Look at me, I can’t get enough fast-food or boy bands, and I’m forcing Evan to keep us a secret, but thousands upon thousands of dollars in debt for brown liquid is insane. If he hadn’t shown me the shelves of unopened bourbon in his closet, I would have worried that he has a drinking problem, too. Although, as much time as we spend together, I know he never gets completely wasted and there have only been a few nights he’s had more than a couple glasses. Still, part of me questions if that’s why he’s dating me. I hate that thought. I don’t want to wonder if Evan is with me for my money. I know better, but that doesn’t keep my mind from going where it shouldn’t.