My boyfriend, Jake, and I have been together for nine months. He\u2019s charming, funny, and great with his kids \u2014 but there\u2019s one tiny problem: every time we go out to eat with them, he \u201cforgets\u201d his wallet.It started small. The first time, he laughed it off. \u201cOh no, babe, I must\u2019ve left my card at home!\u201d I didn\u2019t think much of it and covered the bill. But then it happened again\u2026 and again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Every week, like clockwork, he\u2019d suddenly pat his pockets and give me the same sheepish grin. \u201cYou don\u2019t mind, do you? I\u2019ll get it next time.\u201dExcept next time never came.Last week, after I got paid, he suggested a \u201cspecial dinner\u201d with his kids. \u201cThey\u2019ve been craving steak,\u201d he said, smiling like he was doing me a favor. The kids ordered the most expensive things on the menu \u2014 lobster, ribs, milkshakes, desserts \u2014 and I just smiled. Because this time, I had a plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the bill came, Jake reached for his pocket and did his usual act. \u201cOh no, forgot my card again.\u201dI tilted my head. \u201cThat\u2019s okay,\u201d I said sweetly. \u201cWe\u2019ll just split it.\u201dSplit it?\u201d he blinked.\u201cYeah,\u201d I said, waving to the waiter. \u201cSeparate checks, please. His and mine.\u201dThe waiter nodded. Jake\u2019s smile faltered. \u201cWait\u2014what?\u201dI leaned back in my chair. \u201cYou ordered the kids\u2019 meals, remember? You said you\u2019d cover it.\u201dHe stammered, patted his empty pockets again. \u201cI\u2014I told you, I forgot my card!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I smiled. \u201cNo worries. I\u2019ll wait while you run home and grab it. I\u2019m sure the kids will love the extra time with you.\u201dThe waiter placed the two bills down. I paid mine and left a generous tip. Jake\u2019s face turned red as he fumbled for excuses.I kissed the kids on the forehead, smiled, and said, \u201cSee you later, champ.\u201dThen I walked out, feeling ten pounds lighter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two days later, he texted me an apology. I never replied.Because the truth is \u2014 if a man \u201cforgets\u201d his card but never forgets dessert, he\u2019s not forgetful. He\u2019s just cheap.And I don\u2019t date cheap men.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
My boyfriend, Jake, and I have been together for nine months. He\u2019s charming, funny, and great with his kids \u2014 but there\u2019s one tiny problem: every time… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12344,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12343","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"views":160,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12343","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12343"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12343\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12346,"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12343\/revisions\/12346"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12344"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12343"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12343"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinbr.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12343"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}