Time To Pay
The time was up: after a $250 dinner with oysters, the best steak, and some sparkly champagne, someone had to pick up the check. She ran her game as usual and told that week’s poor sucker some sob story.
But the waiter was listening nearby. He had figured out what she was up to, and he wasn’t completely fine with it. He felt like he had to take action.
Free Dinners
She thought she could keep getting away with it. Over the last few months, she had got more than $2,500 worth of fine and fancy dinners for free.
The secret? Her natural charm and ability to finesse every other man she met on dating apps. Little did she know that her little scheme was about to come down crumbling.
Sofia’s Story
Sofia had it figured out. Ever since she was a little girl, her teachers and her parents knew that she was going places. Now, at 20 years of age, she was completing a Marketing degree in one of the state’s most prestigious universities.
She couldn’t wait to graduate and start moving up in the world. But in the meantime, things weren’t always easy for her.
Student Life
Just like every other student, Sofia had to survive through the semesters on a rather measly income. Her parents were glad to finance her education; but still, they weren’t too well-off themselves.
If it wasn’t for her wit and natural qualities, Sofia would have had to make great sacrifices and renounce to many nice things during her journey as a student. But she knew better than that.
Tired Of Mediocre Meals
After her first year as a student, Sofia quickly got tired of eating instant noodles and canned beans all week. Every now and then, she wished she could treat herself to a nice dinner somewhere fancy.
When she complained about it to her parents, they just told her to hang in there; once she started earning her own money, she would be able to do that and more. But Sofia couldn’t wait. So she devised a plan…
Dating Apps
From her first year of university, Sofie had been an avid user of dating apps. She had got some nice moments and fun flings out of it. But she quickly realized something.
Every week, she was spending hours of her valuable time texting back and forth and hanging out with men from those apps. But she had nothing to show for it when the end of the month arrived. She felt like that wasn’t right.
She Changed Her Approach
Usually, she would meet with young men her age; they would go to some bar downtown and split the bills. She decided to change her approach.
She started talking more often to older men with well-established careers; she would then suggest meeting with them in a fancy restaurant for dinner. Once there, she would execute her plan.
Finesse
In the middle of the conversation, she would make reference to how hard it was for her to make ends meet as a student. This mention would often be made during the dessert, right before they asked for the check.
And every time, the man she was going out with would pay for the dinner. Why wouldn’t they? At the end of the day, they were accomplished professionals, and Sofia was just in her early 20s. Not only was it the most reasonable thing to do: they also had a chance to present themselves as true gentlemen.
It Worked Alright For A While
At first, Sofia tried to at least have some degree of interest in the men she went out with. She wouldn’t have liked to think of herself as someone who just dated men for treats, so she chose men she could see herself with, regardless of how well-off they were.
But after a while, all those fine dinners became too much of a temptation. She ended up going out on weekly dates to her favorite restaurants with any man who seemed like he would be glad to pay for it. And that’s when it all started.
High Life
Now, she was going to the fanciest restaurants in town, getting dinners worth one week of rent for free, and enjoying a taste of the high life. But that wasn’t all.
Her self-esteem was through the roof. It felt really flattering to know that all those wealthy and accomplished men were willing to spend so much money on her company. She was riding high, and she didn’t expect it to end soon. But she was in for a surprise.
Friday Night
It was a Friday night, and Sofia was having dinner in one of her favorite restaurants with one of her new dates. This one was a consultant for a big firm in the city.
They had oysters for starters and then some fillet mignon, along with a couple of bottles of champagne to wash it down with. The dinner was great, as usual. But this time, Sofia didn’t feel one way or the other about her date. The conversation was bland, and he wasn’t even that attractive. Not that it mattered, of course. Now, it was time for one of them to pick up the check.
She Executed Her Plan
Sofia had already mentioned how she was a student of Marketing. Now, as usual, she went on about how hard it was for her to live off a measly income and how she couldn’t wait to start working to afford nice things.
Her date seemed quite understanding and compassionate about it. He was starting to reach into his pocket when suddenly, the waiter made his entrance into the scene. He had something to say.
Waiter Steps In
He had witnessed Sofia’s practices; it was the 7th time Sofia came into that restaurant with a different man. So far, the waiter had turned a blind eye to it. At the end of the day, it was none of his business.
But this time, he felt like he had to do something. It wasn’t so much that he thought that what Sofia did was wrong. But he felt like some of the men she went out with might be misled about her true intentions. So he decided to make a comment to let the man know what was up.
Waiter’s Comment
He went close to the table and asked Sofia, “How were the oysters this week, Mrs.?” Confused, Sofia answered that they were delicious. “Well, that’s good. We changed our supplier, and we don’t know if we made the right choice. So since you come around here almost every week, I thought I could ask you if you’ve noticed any changes.”
Now, Sofia’s date realized what was going on. He quickly figured out that he wasn’t the first man to pay for Sofia’s dinner, and he wouldn’t be the last one. So he decided to pull a risky move.
What Did He Do?
“Oh, jeez. I left my wallet at home. Sofia, can you get this? I’ll make you a transfer, promise.” Sofia started babbling: there was no way she could pay for it! But the waiter had a response.
“Oh, don’t worry, Mrs. Sofia. It’s on the house. You come here so often we might as well make you a business partner.” Embarrassed, Sofia thanked the waiter, and she and her date went their separate ways. But did this experience at least teach Sofia a lesson?