I went on a date with a guy my friend had set me up with. He showed up carrying flowers—not a cheap grocery store bouquet, but a dozen beautiful red roses.
Dinner was perfect. He was charming, funny, opened every door, and even pulled out my chair. When the check came, I instinctively reached for my wallet.
“Absolutely not,” he smiled, sliding his card onto the tray. “A man pays on the first date.”
I left thinking it was one of the best first dates I’d ever had.
The next morning, my phone buzzed.
It was a text from him.
For a second, I expected something sweet like, “I had a wonderful time.”
Instead, I opened a photo of the dinner receipt.
Underneath it was a Venmo request… for $48.73.
His message read:
“I believe relationships should start with honesty and equality. Since I covered dinner to make a good first impression, your half is $48.73. The flowers were a gift.”
I stared at the screen, unsure whether to laugh or be offended.
After a minute, I sent him exactly $48.73.
Then I added another message:
“Thanks for the lovely evening. Since we’re splitting everything equally, you can have your half of the conversation, your half of the compliments, and your half of the memories too.”
A minute later he replied, “So… no second date?”
I smiled, blocked his number, and considered it the cheapest lesson I’d ever bought.
