I learned an expensive lesson on our date
She Divided The Bill Prior to Devastating My Spirit
Upon our rendezvous at the dining establishment, I gleaned a costly enlightenment.
We lingered, solitary souls amidst emptied seats and dimming lights, conversing on life’s philosophical tapestry, the intricacies of love, and the labyrinthine realm of dating.
As a resident physician, she bemoaned her dearth of leisure for courting, her schedule a capricious whirlwind of obligations.
Despite the cacophony of her vocation and personal life, she remained steadfast in her conviction that the scarcity of commendable men thwarted her romantic endeavors.
”Where dwell the noble men?” she queried at length.
”Fear not,” I reassured, “they do exist, perhaps obscured amidst the tumult of life’s hustle. One need only pause to discover them, perhaps even in the very presence before you.”
Our Maiden Encounter
We entered the establishment in tandem earlier that evening, having crossed paths online mere days prior, engaging in a flurry of textual exchange.
She divulged tales of her medical practice, while I shared aspirations of literary pursuit.
”What themes occupy your prose?” she inquired.
”Oh, the usual fare… love, heartache, and the convalescence thereafter,” I jestingly remarked.
”Intriguing. Unconventional,” she mused. “When might we convene for dinner?” she promptly inquired.
Time Ebbs on a Harmonious Soiree
Beneath the evening sky, amidst the ambience of a tranquil fountain and the restaurant’s romantic illumination, our union commenced auspiciously.
Conversing outdoors as we awaited our table, our dialogue flowed seamlessly into the night, continuing unabated upon our seating indoors, punctuated by the ordering of repast and libation.
Both divorced and venturing anew into the realm of courtship, our discourse meandered into the depths of past heartbreak and the tempestuous seas of matrimony.
Though the topic of former flames might have been deemed ill-suited for a maiden encounter, our dialogue inexorably gravitated towards such narratives, two hours passing unnoticed in the fervor of mutual exchange.
The Division of the Tab
Presently, the waiter proffered our accounts, the restaurant’s staff tidying the premises as an unspoken prompt for our departure.
Swiftly, I placed my credit card atop the bill, signaling readiness for payment. Yet, without hesitation, she too proffered her card, overlaying it atop mine.
”It is unnecessary, I insist,” I ventured.
”Nay, I am resolute,” she countered, relinquishing both cards to the waiter for bifurcation of the expense.
As the waiter departed to process our transactions, I ventured forth with a pivotal query.
Prospects of Future Liaisons?
Our discourse, steeped in intellectual and philosophical discourse, traversed the annals of love, heartbreak, and matrimonial rites.
Expressing her appreciation for our dialogue, she delineated the dearth of meaningful conversation in her prior dalliances, characterized by mundanity rather than the profundity of relational psychology and philosophy.
Hesitant yet hopeful, I broached the subject, “Shall we rendezvous anew?”
Her laughter ceased abruptly, countenance sombering as she sobered from the wine’s embrace.
”Ah, Vishnu, I relish our discourse,” she confessed, “and glean much from your wisdom."
"I would eagerly peruse your blog, but I had presumed you were aware,” she continued.
”Aware of what?” I queried, perplexed.
Surely, I had not ventured forth to recruit readers for my blog.
”Of my contribution to our repast,” she elucidated.
”Indeed, yet what significance does this hold?” I queried, befuddled.
”You need not settle the bill,” she expounded. “I offered to cover our repast—your companionship sufficed."
"Well,” she concluded, “though I esteem you greatly, the sentiment is not one of romance.”
Alas, comprehension dawned upon me.
A Pricy Epiphany
Bid adieu, I departed with a newfound reader for my blog but bereft of a second tryst.
Scouring dating forums and perusing YouTube dissertations, I sought validation for this newfound paradigm of courtship.
The dichotomy of footing the bill had long preoccupied my ruminations, oscillating between the norms of payment or equitable division upon her insistence.
This revelation shattered my preconceptions.
When a woman opts to share the bill, she deems it an equitable gesture, whereas division portends a terminus to amorous potential.
My erstwhile date imparted not only a monetary lesson but a sagacious insight into the subtleties of courtship, guiding my future endeavors with perspicacity.
Henceforth, an offer to split the bill signaled the denouement of our romantic pas de deux, while acquiescence to my payment bespoke prospects of a shared future.