Under the Bali Moon

“I know. I know,” Zola agreed. “But I mean like the other things were important, too. People don’t like to say it, but they are.”

Zena grinned internally and asked, “Like what? What things are important?” Then she tried to sound more nonchalant and less leading with, “I don’t really recall everything I said. Remind me.”

“You said other people have told you their fiancé/ fiancée was good with money or had good credit.”

“Finances? So you meant to say Alton is good with finances?” Zena asked naively.

Zola rolled her eyes at Zena. “Stop joking. You know he has no real finances to be good with. Not now anyway.”

Zena nodded.

“And when he does get money, we’ve been so broke for so long, we just spend it because we’re both so frustrated,” Zola added.

“That’s life with an artist.” Zena sat beside Zola and reached over to twist Zola’s last plait.

“But will it work?” Zola asked. “You work with people going through divorces all the time. Does it work? Like if Alton doesn’t make it. If he never gets his career together.”

“I’m not here to do that, Zollie,” Zena said. “I told you I’m just here to support you and Alton on your special day.”

“Cut the crap. Just answer the question.” Zola pulled away from Zena’s hold on her hair and looked at her.

“Fine.” Zena groaned as if Zola had really pulled her arm and none of this was planned. “There’s no right or wrong answer here. But I can say in my practice—money is most commonly at the root of divorce. That and cheating.”

Zola sighed.

“Look, low cash makes everything more difficult,” Zena said.

“But plenty of people with lots of cash have issues, too,” Zola pointed out. “You know that.”

“Low cash is an issue that can hit anyone. A rich man can have low cash issues if his wife is trying to be in a new Bentley every month. It’s nothing to have $50K in the bank if your mortgage alone is $10K. If the light bill is $1,500.”

“Good point,” Zola said. “You know, Alton is talking about getting a house for us.”

“Really?” Zena looked shocked. “Where?”

“Mr. Roy wants to give us their old house. He’s been lonely with Mrs. Pam gone, and he’s moving back to his family farm in Valdosta.”

“That’s wonderful. What a gift for you two.”

“Not really. I don’t want to live in our old neighborhood. I want something nice. I want something new. I want to stay downtown.”

“I could sell you guys my condo,” Zena offered easily.

“You’d do that?”

“Of course. I only owe like a couple hundred thousand on the loan. How’s Alton’s credit?” She didn’t bother to ask about Zola. Her credit was so bad, Zena was surprised Zola was deemed fit to sit for the Bar Exam.

“You owe that much? We can’t afford that. How much do you pay each month for the mortgage?” Zola asked with her mouth open in surprise. “Wait! I don’t think I want to know.”

Zola gasped and fell back on her pillow in time to hear a rolling wave beat out the crickets.

“I have so much to think about,” she declared, sounding deflated.

Zena turned off the lamp beside the bed before lying back on her pillow.

“Too late for all that,” she said, openly smiling in the darkness. “No cold feet allowed on this trip. You’re getting married.”

Chapter 6