BACK IN AUSTIN, Amber was sure of one thing; she didn’t want anything from Tyler. He could have everything, except her car. She knew she didn’t want money, clothes or even the furniture that they purchased. She had already transferred $5000 from their joint account into a personal account Tyler didn’t even know she had. She had learned that lesson well the first time they separated. At that time, she still had this ideal view of marriage, where everything was everything and everyone shared the wealth. So when she left him, after Tyler tried to shoot her, she was caught out there when he closed the bank accounts and left her with no money or credit cards. After she finished crying, all she could do was call home to get money wired to her from her father so she could get a hotel room for the night. Since then, she had always stashed something away for herself just in case.

As she dialed the phone on her first day back from Louisiana, she knew exactly what to expect from Tyler. He was already in his new city, Des Moines. He had already moved on to his new job, so Amber was left by herself in Austin. First, he would be calm, then upset.

"Hey, it’s me." She paused. "How’s the weather there?"

As expected, Tyler didn’t have much to say, but after a few minutes, it was obvious he was not going to be the one to bring up the subject of their relationship.

"Look, I saw a lawyer and filed for divorce." The whole sentence flew out of her mouth in one breath.

"I don’t want money or anything, just my car. The money I do want I have already taken." It was said. She waited.

Tyler didn’t want to lose face. He answered her, almost too quickly.

"Well, I actually planned to wait until you got here at the end of the semester, you know, after I was settled, and then I was going to ask you for a divorce anyway. It’s probably best." She paused. Amber opened her mouth and closed it again.

"Well, then." And that was it. That as all she could muster.

Amber started to cry as soon as she hung up the phone. She couldn’t figure out why; supposedly, this is what she wanted. When she finished crying, she was angry. How dare he think he could let her uproot her life, following him across the country, and then ask her for a divorce! He wanted to wait until he was settled in his new home when it was convenient for him! One more time, he wanted to use her as a support system until he made it through his transition period!

In the middle of Amber’s anger, the phone rang. It was Tyler.

"I called the bank, Amber." The anger in his voice seemed to be strangling him. There was no doubt that he was pissed.

"Can you tell me why you took my money?!"

Amber knew it didn’t matter that she left him more than half of their cash or that they earned that money together. Tyler just felt everything, including Amber and her money, belonged to him. Tyler actually told Amber once that the reason he married her was because she was an investment in his future.

"You are going to go places, girl!" At first she thought it was a compliment. "And I am going right along wit’ ya!"

Tyler never mentioned love during that conversation. Now Amber could tell he really meant that she was his meal ticket.

Now, listening to him hiss at her through the phone, hearing his rage, she imagined his nostrils flaring and she realized how far he really was from a compliment back then. She was just another milestone, like any other accomplishment. Good education, proper wife, good job, money and not necessarily in that order. He thought he was destined to have it all, and now Amber was screwing up his plan!

Tyler went on an on, until Amber grew tired of listening to his tirade. Amber could hear Tyler’s anger and realized that she had the upper hand. Amber didn’t bother to hold the phone up to her ear, there was no need to. She knew what the entire phone soliloquy was really about. The last thing she said to him, stopping him in mid sentence was, "Talk to my lawyer."