Mom, look. I know the garage isn’t ideal, but it’s temporary. We’re trying to save money to buy a bigger house, and we thought maybe if we converted the garage into a proper living space.
He was lying.
Marcus had never been a good liar, not even as a child. His voice always got slightly higher when he wasn’t telling the truth.
And there was a rushed quality to his words that told me he was repeating something Lillian had scripted for him.
Marcus, I said gently. When was the last time you actually looked at our household budget?
Another pause.
Longer this time.
What do you mean?
I I mean, do you know how much money comes into the house each month and where it goes?
I could hear shuffling in the background, and then Lillian’s voice became clearer.
She was moving closer to the phone.
Mom, I don’t understand why you’re asking about money. Lillian handles all that stuff. She’s good with numbers.
I’m sure she is. I said, Marcus, I need to ask you something, and I want you to really think about your answer.
In the past year, how many times have you had to work overtime or take on extra projects to make ends meet?
I don’t know, maybe once or twice a month, but that’s normal, Mom. Everyone has to work extra sometimes.
And how many times in the past year has Lillian mentioned that money was tight, that you needed to cut back on expenses?
This pause was the longest yet?
I guess pretty regularly, but she’s just being responsible, making sure we don’t overspend.
I took a deep breath.
This was where I needed to be very careful.
Too much information too quickly would put Marcus on the defensive, but too little, and Lillian would have time to cover her tracks.
Marcus, I want you to do something for me. I want you to look at the credit card statements from the past 6 months. All of them. Can you do that?
Why would I need to do that?
because your wife has been telling you that money is tight while spending approximately $1,500 a month on cosmetics, clothing, and spa treatments.
The silence that followed was deafening.
I could picture Marcus standing in his kitchen, phone pressed to his ear while Lillian tried to read his expression and figure out how much damage control she needed to do.
That’s not Marcus started, then stopped.
Mom, that’s a serious accusation.
It’s not an accusation, sweetheart. It’s a fact. I’ve been keeping track.
Like keeping track of what?
This was the moment I’d been preparing for.
Marcus, did you know that Lillian has a credit card account under the name Lillian Thompson? Not Lillian Morrison, but Thompson, as in using your father’s surname.
I heard what sounded like a chair scraping against the floor.
That’s impossible. We don’t have any accounts I don’t know about.
Check the mail from the past week. Look for anything from Capital One Financial. The statements usually come around the 15th of each month.
More silence.
Then I heard Lillian’s voice much clearer now. Obviously speaking directly into the phone.
Beverly, I don’t know what you think you’re accomplishing with these lies, but you’re hurting this family with your paranoid fantasies.
Hello, Lillian. I said pleasantly. I’m doing well. Thank you for asking.
The apartment is lovely, very peaceful.
This is ridiculous, Lillian continued.
Marcus, don’t listen to her. She’s obviously having some kind of breakdown.
It’s probably stress from working too many hours at her age.
Actually, I said, I wanted to thank you, Lillian. Moving out has given me so much free time. I’ve been able to catch up on some reading.
Did you know that identity theft, even within families, is a federal crime? I found some very interesting articles about it online.
The silence that followed was different from the previous pauses.
This one felt dangerous, charged with the kind of energy that precedes a storm.
Marcus, Lillian’s voice was sharp now. Hang up the phone. Your mother is clearly having some kind of episode.
But Marcus didn’t hang up.
Mom, he said slowly. What exactly are you saying?
I’m saying that you should look at your bank statements, your credit reports, and your mail very carefully.
I’m saying that the woman you married has been lying to you about more than just household expenses.
Beverly, you vindictive old woman. Lillian started, but Marcus must have signaled for her to stop because she went quiet.