What she didn\u2019t know was that I had quietly asked the waiter for separate checks before we even ordered.<\/p>\n
I knew my friend well enough to suspect this might happen. She loved expensive restaurants, ordered whatever she wanted, and then somehow expected everyone else to \u201cjust split it evenly.\u201d<\/p>\n
So when the waiter returned, he placed two folders on the table.<\/p>\n
Mine was $24.<\/p>\n
Hers was $176.<\/p>\n
She stared at them, then looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is this?\u201d<\/p>\n
I calmly reminded her that I had told her before dinner that I couldn\u2019t afford an expensive meal and would only be ordering something small.<\/p>\n
She immediately became annoyed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s so awkward. Friends don\u2019t nickel-and-dime each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
I nearly laughed.<\/p>\n
I told her friendship also didn\u2019t mean ordering a huge steak, multiple sides, drinks, and dessert and expecting someone eating a salad to cover half.<\/p>\n
She accused me of embarrassing her in front of the waiter, but he simply smiled politely and walked away.<\/p>\n
Eventually, she paid her bill, though she barely spoke to me afterward.<\/p>\n
A few days later, she texted saying I had \u201cruined the evening over money.\u201d<\/p>\n
I replied that money hadn\u2019t ruined anything.<\/p>\n
Ignoring a clear boundary had.<\/p>\n
We stayed friends, but from then on, every time we went out, she asked for separate checks before ordering.<\/p>\n
Funny how quickly something becomes \u201cfair\u201d once the person ordering the expensive meal has to pay for it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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