— I want a house! An apartment isn’t enough for me. We’ve been saving for years, but life passes us by!» Thomas slammed his fist on the table, causing the teacups to rattle and spill over the lace doily.
«Thomas, think rationally! Our savings only cover a down payment, and you’re demanding a country home. Where will we find another £200,000?» Grace spoke calmly, though her heart raced with frustration.
«Take a loan, what’s the problem? Everyone does it. We’ll sell the flat, add our savings, and in a couple of years, I’ll get that promotion I’ve been promised. That’s how we’ll pay it off,» Thomas dismissed her concerns, waving a hand as if shooing away a fly.
«And if you don’t get that promotion? You’ve been waiting for it for three years,» Grace rubbed her temples, exhausted by this endless argument.
«I will! I’m the top sales manager in the company. The director said the department head role is mine.»
Grace turned to the window, watching snowflakes drift across the glass. Winter had arrived sharply, but her soul felt colder. Thomas hadn’t listened to her in ages, as if someone had replaced him with a stranger.
Their shared boat had stayed afloat because of her prudence, while Thomas had always been the dreamer. At first, it had been charming—his knack for envisioning castles in the air and believing in the impossible. But over the years, it had become a vice.
«Are you against my happiness?» Thomas challenged, arms folded.
«No, Thomas. I’m against reckless choices. A house is a lifetime commitment. What if we can’t afford it? Better to wait a year, save more…»
«Always with that ‘wait’! I’m forty-three. When will I live? When will I enjoy it? On a pension?» Thomas paced the kitchen, hands in his hair.
«We’re not bad off,» Grace reasoned. «We have a good flat, we travel every year…»
«To Spain! The same Spain every bloody year! I want the Maldives! Thailand! America, for heaven’s sake! You always hold me back, always penny-pinch.»
«That’s not penny-pinching. It’s wise spending. Because of it, we even have an emergency fund,» Grace corrected.
«An emergency fund? Who needs it? While all my friends are living their best lives, I’m saving and saving. Enough!» Thomas scoffed.
Grace sighed. Lately, Thomas had fixated on comparing their lives to others, especially after his school friend, Marcus, bought a countryside mansion. He conveniently ignored Marcus had inherited a fortune.
«You’re in a midlife crisis,» she said softly. «It’ll pass, just don’t do anything rash.»
«This isn’t a crisis! It’s an epiphany! I’ve realized I lived my whole life wrong.»
With that, Thomas stormed out, slamming the door. Grace heard his footsteps in the hall—again, he’d gone to view houses in the Cotswolds. For the third time that week.
She sipped the now-cold tea and cleared the table. Something was off with him. Once, they had made financial decisions as a team, weighing pros and cons. Now, Thomas was untethered, craving more at any cost.
Daniel, the sales manager, looked up from his desk as Thomas entered his office.
«You wanted to see me, Mr. Platt?»
«Mr. Hall, yes,» Thomas licked his dry lips. «Do you remember promising me the assistant manager position when it opened?»
«Of course,» Daniel nodded. «But all spots are still filled.»
«But Geoffrey is retiring next month!»
«Ah, yes,» Daniel coughed. «To be honest, there’s a new plan. We’re hiring someone externally for Geoffrey’s role—someone with broader leadership experience.»
«Externally? Like, what, a fresh face from the outside?» Thomas felt a knot in his chest. «But what about me? You promised!»
«I said your application would go top of the list. It did. But the board thinks the company needs a new perspective, someone with external insight.»
«Ten years in this company! What new perspective?» Thomas struggled to keep his anger in check.
«Mr. Hall, don’t take it to heart. There’ll be other roles. Besides, your bonuses often top the assistants’ what with your sales performance,» Daniel soothed. «Stick with it, and things will work out.»
Thomas left the office crushed. His dream of a promotion—gone. And with it, the plan to buy the £250,000 house with the ten-acre garden he’d already fallen in love with, a palace compared to their cramped two-bedroom flat in Clapham.
His phone buzzed as he walked. His realtor.
«Thomas, hello! I’ve good news. That cottage in Cheltenham—owners are willing to drop it by £100k if you sign within the week. Another buyer appeared, though, so don’t delay.»
Thomas’s heart raced. A second chance. But…
«I need to discuss it with Grace,» he mumbled.
«Certainly, but time waits for no one,» the realtor added. «Charmaine’s always waiting.»
Thomas skipped back to work. Head in the clouds, he wandered into a car dealership, the gleam of new 4x4s catching his eye. A sales rep approached.
«Looking at a new car, sir?»
«Just browsing,» Thomas smiled, feigning disinterest.
«Wouldn’t want to miss our offer. Zero-interest loan on the first year, plus free winter tires.»
«Truly?» Thomas leaned in.
«All models! Come, I’ll show you.»
Two hours later, Thomas left with glossy brochures and a racing heart. That £25k car—*his*.
Back home, Grace found him at the kitchen table, papers spread like treasure.
«Grace, look! How divine!»
«For a car?» She arched a brow. «We were going to buy a house. And the old car drives fine.»
«Eh, it’s outdated!» Thomas threw up his hands. «This deal is perfect! Zero interest for a year!»
«And after?» she pressed. «Half your salary will pay for a car we barely need.»
«Barely need? I’ve earned a decent car after ten years of work!»
«The house, Thomas,» she reminded him. «You said you wanted it.»
He hesitated, then rallied: «We’ll take two loans. One for the house, one for the car.»
«Two loans?» Grace shook her head. «Are you mad? How will we live?»
«On our salaries,» he shrugged. «We’ll manage!»
«Thomas, listen. I get you want to live better. But don’t rush into this. First, decide on the house. Then, maybe a car later.»
«Again with the caution!» He yanked his hand away. «Backward steps and no freedom! You suffocate me!»
«Prudence isn’t suffocation. Consider the risk if you get sick, or I lose my job.»
«Bah! Everyone lives like this. Credit allows people to live, not die.»
«The world’s not the same for everyone,» she whispered. «We’ve always lived within our means. That’s why we have savings.»
«And what good are savings? They just rot!» Thomas exploded.
The argument stretched into the night, unresolved. Grace left the kitchen, exhausted, while Thomas gazed out the window, already planning their new lives.
The next day, she found two loan applications on the table.
«Without my signature?» she asked, stunned.
«You’d say no,» he replied, slumped in the chair. «Time to seize life. I’m tired of denying myself.»
«And the house? Are we scrapping that now?»
«Nonsense! I’ve agreed with the realtor. We’ll file the mortgage next week.»
«With our savings?»
«Precisely! Everything will be great,» he insisted.
Grace collapsed on the sofa, hands over her face. *Who is this man?* Where was the thoughtful man she married? Now, he was a stranger consumed by reckless dreams.
They drove the new car a week later. Thomas beamed as they pulled out.
«Used to drive an old Mini. Now, this beauty!» He gestured to the sleek SUV.
Grace admired it but thought of the monthly payments. Their lives would change, whether for the better or not.
A week later, their mortgage application was rejected.
«Two loans strain your budget,» the officer explained. «Even with a 30% down payment…»
Thomas sulked. «It’s your fault!»
«It’s your decision to take the car loan without asking!»
«If you weren’t such a tightwad, we’d be homeowners already!»
«Maybe we should return the car,» Grace suggested.
«Are you mad?» he roared. «Never!»
They left the bank in silence, the dream slipping like sand.
That night, Thomas proposed a third loan—a personal one for renovations. Grace refused.
«Unreasonable!» he spat. «I’ll take it myself. Chained to your caution, I might as well stay broke!»
He secured the loan at a high interest rate. Two weeks later, they moved into the crumbling Cotswold cottage.
Monthly bills now swallowed 90% of their income. By year’s end, Thomas was laid off, and the economy nosedived.
She took a second job. They skipped groceries. They sold the car at a loss, but it wasn’t enough.
By the time the mortgage and personal loan defaulted, the house was a liability.
The bank repossessed it. They moved to a rented flat, stripped of savings and credit worthiness.
One night, Grace broke the silence.
«What now?»
«I… ruined it,» Thomas admitted, face in his hands.
«We could’ve lived in our old flat, debt-free,» she sighed. «Now we have nothing.»
«Forgive me,» he mumbled. «I wanted everything at once.»
«And lost everything,» she replied softly. «No house, no car, no savings.»
«Can we ever start over?»
«If we act with sense, not whims. Step by step,» she answered.
Thomas nodded. The cost of his impatience was a stern lesson.
Seven years later, they had no grand house, but a modest £150k flat in Bristol. No luxury, but no debt.
Thomas, now a senior project manager, saved every first paycheck.
Grace smiled as she watched him.
«What are we saving for?» he asked.
«Just… the future. Without premiums or plans. To make sure it’s there.»
And this time, Grace knew, the future was real.
