Lights Out On This Relationship
I was living with my girlfriend and a roommate and we split the cost of every bill evenly, even though each bill was in one person’s name. Well, that was the idea, but I naively “helped” my girlfriend pay her part of the bills (i.e. paid completely for most of them). The rent was in my name, the electricity in my girlfriend’s, etc. I eventually got tired of her (arguments, smelly gerbils, not doing chores), and we broke up.
It was messy. She took ages to move out, making sure to mooch every penny she could before leaving. When she left, I immediately started a new electricity account in my name. A week later, I got a letter of confirmation in the mail, but I also received the electricity bill for the last three months my ex was living with us. I opened it without thinking.
We couldn’t even pay it if we wanted to because the bill was in her name. I shot her a text: Me: Yo, you got the electricity bill in the mail. It’s 120 bucks so come pick up $40 from each of us. Ex: Um where’s the other $40? We agreed I wouldn’t pay bills after I moved out. (as if she did before) Me: You were still living here for the time period of the bill.
Ex: This is ridiculous, I’m not going to pay a thing. We had an agreement. Me: Well…you can come over to get our part, or you can pay it alone. Ex: The way I see it, you can either bring the $120 to my place or have fun in the dark lol. Me: You got me there! At this point, I realized I had her. She doesn’t know I started my own account with the electricity provider.
She thought that by refusing to pay, the provider would cut our lights. Good way to mooch another $40 from us, right? But that’s not quite what happened. A few weeks later, I received another letter from the electric company with her name on it. Probably a late payment warning. I sent her a text to tell her and she responded, “lol why are you so desperate to talk to me. You know what you have to do :)”
Another letter came in for her. This one was probably late fees. I have to guess because I never opened them. I messaged her and she said, “I thought I told you to never talk to me again.” As you wish, ma’am! More letters arrived, but from a new address. I Googled the new sender’s address and found that they were debt collectors. Scary stuff. It’s too bad I couldn’t say a word to her.
Now about two or three months later, I received a phone call from my ex and I’m greeted by “WHAT THE HECK THESE PEOPLE ARE CALLING MY PARENTS’ HOUSE I’VE GOT ALL THESE LATE FEES BAAHHHH DEBT COLLECTORS.” I told her if she wants our part of the bill, she knows what to do 🙂 Realizing that she had no other choice, she caved and came for the money.
My roommate and I didn’t give her a cent toward late fees, and I probably looked so smug giving her my money for the last time.