Friday, July 29, 2016

New car

JJ crashed our car in May, and we have been borrowing my parents' car since then. Finally, I saw online that Nell & Paul Madigan were selling their car. I let JJ know, and he decided to buy it. He did yesterday, for a price of $10,000. About a week before, I told him I wanted him to put me on the title of the car. He said, "what difference does it make?" I said, "as a married couple we need to share stuff. That matters to me." Then, a few days ago, I told him I didn't have enough money to split the cost with him, but that I could give him about $3000. He kind of mumbled in response, a typical JJ non-response. To do that, I needed to get the rest of the retainer back from the lawyer, which I finally did this week. But before Nell & Paul came over to make the sale, I had not yet given him the money, partly because I had just gotten the check from the lawyer and prior to that had not known how much it would be, and partly because I really did not believe he would put me on the title. I feel that JJ from the very beginning of our marriage had avoided sharing money and assets with me at all costs, mainly because I think it makes him feel that he can control things. So I felt that despite our conversation about it, he was setting it up to leave me out. ("You stay at home with Nell & kids while Paul & I go to the DMV... ") Sure enough, a few hours after they returned from the DMV, I asked him, and he told me that he had only put his own name. I felt that same feeling of betrayal, of having been manipulated, that I have felt many times with him. I got mad. I said, "But I came to you to ask you. I offered to share the cost with you." He said, "I asked you 'what difference does it make?' and 'you didn't answer.'" I said, "I obviously came to you requesting that because it makes a difference to me! I needed a sign from you that you understand we need to share, and you missed that opportunity." He said, "well, you buy your mom's car." I said, "that was about buying a car for US, not just me!" He said, "well you keep insisting that we need two cars" (which is something he was saying for a long time too). He said, "we need two cars because you are always late." I said, "now you're back to your old games, changing the subject, changing the story, manipulating." I said, "we need two cars or to really agree to SHARE one car because you act like the car belongs only to you and that you always get priority to use it. You're unwilling to use public transportation, and you're greedy about the car, even it makes my life harder." He said, "there was only one time I was unwilling to use public transportation." We talked about the weekend last year when he had signed up to grade Regents and I decided to go to Virginia with the kids. He claimed that I had decided "at the last minute" to take the car, leaving him unable to get to the grading site, which was "inaccessible" by public transportation. I said, no, I approached you about it a few days in advance; you ignored me. We discussed the plan over text message. Clinton HS is not "inaccessible" by public transportation; in fact, it's only one block from the subway. I take public transit every day; and so can you. Not only that, when you expressed your feeling of not wanting to take the train, I looked for a rental car so that you could keep the car with you. But when you ignored my messages asking for ride, and refused to speak to me, and threatened to call the cops when I finally decided to go, I just didn't feel like trying to help you anymore. So I left. (What I really wanted to say was that he was being a selfish, entitled asshole.) He started blaming again: "see, this was another example of me expressing my point of view about something and you say, 'I'm doing it anyway.'" I said, "all you have is your old tired arguments. I'm not doing this with you." I left the room. When I came back, I said, "I will buy my mom's car. But you just watch what happens if you ever need money from me."

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