He Funded Her With My Youth

Summary

For ten years of marriage, Russell and I lived by a strict fifty-fifty rule.

His paycheck went into high-yield, locked-in savings accounts—our so-called bulletproof hedge against financial catastrophe. My paycheck covered everything else: the rent, the groceries, the utilities, the car maintenance, the endless social obligations, and every single unexpected expense that cropped up in our daily lives.

"It builds resilience for our future, Leah," he used to tell me, his voice smooth and sensible. "One of us has to be the anchor."