I was so embarrassed. I had been dating my girlfriend for two years, but I had never told anyone how much I earned compared to her.
But recently, I had to tell my friends that she was a spendthrift because I earned much less than her.
She earns more than me and I felt paiseh
I had met my girlfriend at university, where I was studying engineering and she was studying business. We were both in our final year and both had big dreams for the future.
Eventually we graduated and found jobs and because she was more sociable than me, she climbed the corporate ladder faster, got promoted and naturally came the pay increments.
Soon, she was making almost twice of what I earned.
It didn’t really matter to me or her as to who was earning more, at least that was what I thought until one fine day when my relatives asked me about it during family dinner.
Claimed to relatives that she is a spendthrift to cover up the fact that I earned lesser
That’s when I had to explain to my relatives with some made up excuse because I was so embarrassed to tell them that I earned much less than her.
I started to tell them that she would use my money and I was supporting her in a way.
I told them she always spends without thinking and sometimes she will spend on things we didn’t need.
I also said that she would buy expensive clothes, dinners out, and other luxuries that she couldn’t afford and all these was possible because she was using my money but the truth was she was spending well within her means and it was all her own money.
Even though she spends quite a bit, she still has more savings than me and this made me feel a little like a loser.
It has been a few months since my relatives asked about our finances and I wonder how long I can keep up with this lie.
I can’t help but feel embarrassed and ashamed that I earn much less than her and I still feel like I don’t measure up to her.
I can’t shake the feeling that I am not worthy of her because of my financial situation.