My H emailed me complaining about the L, etc, etc, but didn't mention his b-day or if he had liked the present, so I asked. I said I didn't want things to be awkward. FY, I know you suggested I didn't do it, but I deserve to be treated better, so I demanded better treatment. So he replied:
"I really enjoyed lunch with you on Thursday and the dolphin globe is decorating my office. I have to admit, I opened it early. I ate one cookie and it was delicious. The others are at my desk, ready to be eaten (okay, maybe two cookies). They were amazing. Sorry I did not send out a proper thank you yet, I really appreciate how kind and understanding you’ve been and your generosity. It’s true that it’s difficult to share, but I appreciate that you don’t want it to be awkward. As you might have guessed, I basically got snowed it, and did a lot of watching movies on Netflix (I signed up again), and read. I hope you are doing well and didn’t get too buried. Thanks again for the present! I am really grateful that we are both reasonable people."
So the lesson is, that if you're in my sitch, you might as well be open and avoid an adversarial R. And ask for what you need.
He hasn't seen the agreement from the L yet (I'm waiting for the L to send it to me.) That'll require a lot of smart negotiating from my part, and a lot of kindness. I can do it. At the same time, I will make sure I get what I need financially.
