On Valentine’s Day, My Ex Brought His New Girlfriend to the Restaurant Where I Work – After He Mocked My Apron, I Handed Him an Envelope

My name is Maya. I’m a single mom of two beautiful kids who deserve better than what their father gave them.

I work double shifts as a waitress at the diner on Route 12. Some weeks, I’m there for 60 hours. Other weeks, more. My widowed mom helps raise my kids while I keep us afloat.

I’m a single mom of two beautiful kids who deserve better than what their father gave them.

My feet ache by the end of every shift. I smell like grease and coffee. My hands are rough from constant washing. But it’s honest work. And it keeps my family fed.

Three years ago, my husband, Carl, walked out on us.

No warning. No explanation. Just packed a bag one Thursday morning and said he couldn’t do it anymore.

At first, I thought he meant our marriage. Turns out he meant responsibility itself.

A month after he left, the collection calls started. Credit card companies. Loan officers. All asking for money I didn’t owe.

Three years ago, my husband, Carl, walked out on us.

That’s when I realized what Carl had done. For two years while we were married, he had been opening credit cards in my name. He’d forged my signature and racked up debt I knew nothing about.

By the time I discovered it, he’d disappeared.

No forwarding address. No phone number. No child support. Just me, the two kids, and nearly $40,000 in fraudulent debt.

I filed police reports. Hired a lawyer I couldn’t afford. Started the long process of proving I was a victim.

Carl had been opening credit cards in my name.

But documentation takes time. And in the meantime, I still had rent to pay. Kids to feed. And bills piling up.