The Three Unbelievable Things My Ex and I Fought About

When I moved in with Kenny two years ago, I really thought that I was on top of the world. I was going to live with a man I wanted to share my life with, and our apartment was so charming and conveniently close to the places where we worked. Despite working an irregular night shift, I struggled to go home early and catch Kenny before he left just so I could cook breakfast and we could eat together. It was a perfect setup, and I was sure I could hear the bells ringing in the distance.

So it was a real nightmare when I caught Kenny in bed with a redhead when I went home unexpectedly. After a bucket-full of tears and a fiercely-balled hand with strands of red hair hanging in a fashion similar to medieval warriors carrying the heads of their defeated foe, I told Kenny and his woman to leave. I thought that was the ugliest part, but little did I know that my ex and I would have three more unbelievable things to fight about before the dust settled:

The Movie Collection

Just like any other couples living together outside of matrimony, Kenny and I didn’t mind buying and sharing things. And as movie lovers, we amassed a large movie collection, thanks to our habit of purchasing 2-3 new discs every week. So when I pointedly told Kenny to leave while furiously packing his clothes, he blatantly refused and said HIS movie collection was going too. I refused and told him I bought majority of the copies we had. In the end, we had to endure each other’s presence for days because we had to sort which ones he bought and which ones I bought.

The Utility Bills

Since I told Kenny to leave, Kenny expected to be free of any entanglements such as house bills. But I refused to let him leave without him giving his share of the utilities [it was nearly the end of the month when I caught him cheating, so he had to pay his share before I could let him go]. Before the split, we used to race as to who would settle the bill first, but now we were bickering about how much share he should chip in versus how I should handle the utility bills myself because I was keeping the apartment.

Who Gets to Keep the Deposit

When Kenny and I moved into that apartment, we had to provide a two-month deposit, part of which I especially withdrew from my savings fund. But now that Kenny is leaving, he’s asking me to pay his share of the deposit so I could keep the entire amount to myself when I decide to leave. Unabashed, I told him to forget it as he wasn’t getting anything from me because he was getting kicked out due to his stupidity. Three weeks after breaking up and now that I’m living peacefully on my own in that little apartment with sweet yet painful memories, I still receive an occasional phone call from Kenny, asking me if I can send that deposit which he’d use to move in with his redhead.

Lessons Learned:

1. Conjugal property only applies to married couples, so be wary on what you spend for you and your hubby’s use, no matter how much you love him.
2. When moving in with a special someone, discuss how you two will handle utilities, rent, etc. so everything will be clear if you need to split
3. Keep receipts so you’d know who gets the refund and who needs to shut up and forget it.

Apart from clear division of property, living-in couples should also learn how to compare utility providers and determine who pays which utility, etc. But then again, if you are planning to live as a real couple, it is more proper and secure to live together within the bounds of marriage.