Treat me like a lady. I'll treat you like a man.

Please refer to “Muppet not a man” post for context. Just makes this date all the more ridiculous.

Scene: Same theatre. Same pay machine. First date. Two tickets have been selected and the $20 total is on the screen. No one makes a move. Blank staring at the total. Not looking at each other. No moves for wallet or purse. Silence. Then awkward silence. Serious déjà vu here.

Girl: “so.... are we going to pay?”

Boy: “well ummm... (clearing of throat) uhhhh... sometimes I guess, sometimes I treat, but uhh well... (more clearing of throat and obvious forced awkward slow motion move to remove wallet).

Girl: “ we’ll split it,” said flatly while hitting the cancel button. No male protesting. Thought. Seems to me that the FIRST DATE would be the time to treat? Startegic even no? Why punch in two tickets? Obviously one total implies one payer.

Benefit of the doubt. Maybe he’s broke, and that was his absolute last $10. He’d scrapped together all the change in the sofa cushions because he really wanted to see me. That theory goes out the window as I watch him spend $30 on various junk foods for himself. “I’m soooo hungry. You’re not hungry are you?” Really?

And mid-movie...

Boy: “Any frozen yogurt left?”

Girl: “Nope, you ate it.” Yeah, I ate it. It only seemed fair really.

And post-movie...

Boy: “so it’s early, I can go to your place.”

Girl: “no thanks.”

Boy: “you like sleeping alone, don’t you.”

Girl: “I do.” Can you believe this guy?

PS. just read this article when I got home from the date. Alone. This passage seemed topical: “..perhaps there are qualities of the old-fashioned manly man to be salvaged. Chivalry, courage, strength, generosity, protectiveness and decisiveness”.