The Day My Financial Independence Was Exposed

Welcome to MyWaywardMusings.

Yesterday, I was at my mum’s place.

My husband was away on a work trip, my son was at home with me, and, as luck would have it, it was one of those days when the cook hadn’t come. And I had absolutely no time or inclination to cook.

My son, therefore, made a perfectly reasonable request. “Let’s order Chinese.”

Fair enough.

My mum doesn’t have dinner at night, so it was just my son and me who needed to be fed. This should have been a simple, straightforward food-ordering exercise.

It wasn’t.

You see, lately, like most people, I have become ridiculously dependent on GPay. I use it for everything.

Auto? GPay.

Groceries? GPay.

Small payment to someone? GPay.

Anything that requires money? GPay.

In fact, I have reached a stage where I have completely forgotten my debit cards PINs because, frankly, why would I need to remember them?

As for credit cards, my husband and I had consciously decided to keep just one credit card between us, in his name, with an additional card for me. The idea was simple: instead of splitting our spending across different cards, we could accumulate the miles and reward points on one card.

Very sensible, very financially responsible, very mature..... Until yesterday.

So there I was, trying to order Chinese food on Swiggy. I chose GPay. I entered my PIN.

And then…

Nothing.

The screen started buffering.

And buffering....

And buffering....

Now, I am not known for my patience.

If patience were a superpower, I’d definitely be a civilian.

So, in my usual hyperactive manner, I clicked the back button.

Mistake number one.

I went back to the payment page and tried again.

Meanwhile, my bank had clearly decided that something suspicious was happening.

Messages started arriving.

Was this transaction made by you?

Then the bank called. I answered the call. I couldn't hear clearly.

And at that exact moment, a call from an extremely important person came.....

My maid. 

Now, obviously, I had to know whether she was going on leave...Priorities you see.

So I put the bank call on hold and took my maid’s call. Mistake number two.

A few minutes later, I received another message. My GPay account had been blocked.

Excellent.

No food, no GPay, no debit card PIN.

But then I discovered that Swiggy had actually placed the order. Apparently, I had the option of making an online payment while the order was in transit or paying cash when the food arrived.

I looked at the cash situation. There wasn't enough. Of course there wasn't.  

And by then, it was too late to cancel the order. So now I had food coming to the house, no money to pay for it, and a blocked GPay account. And then I saw it.

Swiggy had my credit card details saved. I remembered there was another option! I clicked on the card option. It asked for an OTP. The OTP had gone to my husband's mobile.

So I called him. And because I am me, did I calmly explain the situation?

No.

I spoke in my audio-fast-forward tone...the one where every sentence comes out at 1.50x speed.

“Hi! There is no food at home, so I tried ordering food on Swiggy and somehow they blocked my GPay and we don't have money at home. Is it possible to share the OTP on your phone because otherwise I can't get the food?”

There was a pause.

Then my husband said something that should have immediately alerted me.

“Hi Sharon…”

He usually never calls me Sharon.

“…it's difficult because I am driving on the Highway. I'm sorry.”

I regretted for disturbing him..

“Oh! I'm so sorry!”

And before I could end the call, my mum, who had been listening to all this, came to my rescue. “I have cash.”

Problem solved!

I immediately told my husband,

“Oh great! Mummy will give me the money for the food. Bye!”

And I hung up.

Crisis over. Food secured. Mummy to the rescue!

I went about my evening. 

Until, a few minutes later, something suddenly clicked. I froze.

Oh. My. God.

I remembered something.

My husband was on a work trip to Pune. His boss from the US was visiting India. And his boss was supposed to travel with him to Pune...

I think. 

I waited until my husband returned from Pune later that night. I had been rehearsing the question in my head for hours.

Finally, I asked, very cautiously, with my fingers crossed:

“Was your boss in the car when I called you?”

My husband looked at me.

That look....

when my husband gives when he knows something is about to become very entertaining.

“Yes.”

I closed my eyes. I took a breath.

Then came the second question.

“By any chance… was your phone connected to the Car's Bluetooth?”

Another look.

“Yes.”

Silence.

Complete, devastating silence.

So let me explain what my husband's boss from the US had just heard.

He had been sitting in a car with my husband, presumably having a perfectly respectable work conversation or enjoying his road journey 

And suddenly, through the car's speakers, this crazy woman's voice appears at full speed.

“Hi! There is no food at home!”

Followed by:

“I tried ordering food on Swiggy!”

Then:

“They blocked my GPay!”

Then:

“We don't have money at home!”

And asking for "OTP."

And finally, :

“Oh great! Mummy will give me the money for the food. Bye!”

I could practically hear the imaginary minutes of the meeting being taken by his boss.

Financial situation at home: precarious.

Food situation: dependent on Swiggy.

Digital payment system: blocked.

Emergency financial support: Mother.

And apparently, even a plate of Chinese food requires my dominating husband to give the OTP. !!

Oh God.

- Sharon