Hi all,
Been hanging around the site for a long time now (not a mum, as you will soon understand); the advice you give is fantastic and I could do with a bit right now myself. Actually, I know what the advice will probably be but I suppose I need the support more than anything!
Long story short, met a man three years ago OLD. He was unlike anyone I’d met before — such a life he’d led, witty, outrageous, charming. It moved on very quickly and he moved into my house after about 6 months.
He had always lived “under the radar”. When he moved in I insisted everything was done properly, council tax etc. He agreed. And then the debt collection letters, fines, unpaid tax etc started coming. This was his past catching up with him, he said...so I paid them all off (I don’t earn a lot but bailiffs scare the hell out of me). He did pay me back, although it took a while.
Things were ok, but we rowed occasionally about money and personal matters (he was totally estranged from his family, whereas I’m very close to mine). His default response was to disappear on a bender then reappear full of apologies.
...and then I got pregnant at the age of 43, after years of thinking I couldn’t have kids. I knew immediately this wasn’t right for me. We discussed it and he admitted to being unreliable and self-destructive (addictions etc) and I made the heartbreaking decision (for both of us — he wanted us to have a child) to have a termination. It went wrong, I had to go into hospital...it was horrific.
Fast-forward six months, and I finally snapped and asked him to leave. He did. But since then, it has been a catalogue of drama and stress. I have bailed him out financially to the tune of 2.5k, some from my savings and a loan for the rest. He has paid me bits, but then the next day calls in “desperation” asking for it back. Like a fool, I give it to him.
I have told him several times that it stops here, I don’t think we should be friends any more because I am at the end of my tether, emotionally and financially. He is extremely persuasive and knows exactly what buttons to press. I am sick with anxiety every time my phone goes or there’s a knock at the door (we got a dog while we were a couple, which has tied us together somewhat). So I have sent him an email detailing what he owes and that I don’t want him to contact me or come round any more...this has not been taken well, as you can imagine.
To be honest, he scares me. Not physically — violence is definitely not one of his faults — but his unpredictability, financial demands and inability to talk reasonably puts me on the back foot every time. I don’t really care about getting the money back (have pared my living expenses to the bone so I can just about cover the debt, although I think he will pay me back eventually), I just want some peace.
Any wise words of support would be gratefully appreciated! My family and friends are pretty much unaware of how bad things are — they would go beserk if they knew all the gory details and the amount of money involved. I feel so stupid that I let it get to this point. If anyone else has been in this boat, I’d love to hear how you got out of it.
With thanks in advance x