What started as a fairytale first date quickly turned into a financial nightmare. Eric played the perfect gentleman – roses, charming conversation, and an insistent “A gentleman always pays” when the check arrived. The magical evening took a shocking turn when I woke up to an itemized invoice the next morning. Every flower, every drink, even the cheap keychain he’d given me had a price tag attached, with his “payment” expected to be another date.
My friend Mia’s boyfriend Chris delivered the perfect response – a parody invoice charging Eric for my time and attention. When Eric angrily defended his “reasonable” charges, it became painfully clear he viewed romance as a business transaction. The roses wilted, but the lesson stayed fresh: genuine connection can’t be bought or sold, no matter how detailed the receipt.
