\u201cFor my birthday, I booked dinner for nine of us at a vegan restaurant I\u2019d been wanting to try. I wanted one night where I didn\u2019t have to apologize for my food choices. The meal was great \u2014 until the bill came: $480.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then someone joked, \u2018Since you picked the vegan place, you\u2019re paying, right?\u2019 The others laughed. I didn\u2019t. I said, \u2018So next time we go to a steakhouse, you\u2019re all covering it?\u2019 Silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I paid for my $28 curry and left early, trying not to cry in the car. The next day, two of them texted saying I\u2019d \u2018overreacted.\u2019 A few others haven\u2019t spoken to me since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It still hurts, but I guess my birthday showed me something I never expected \u2014 who was there to celebrate me, and who just came for the free meal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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