Ask Amy: Generous man was played for a pinata
Dear Amy: I have been on a series of dates with an established professional. I got the feeling that she just viewed me as a money piñata, even though I imagine she out-earns me.
We are both late-millennials. We established values of equality, reciprocity, family, etc., before we even met in person.
We had a great time on our first date. The bill arrived and there was no casual dance back and forth over who might pay. She never even looked in its direction. No worries, I got it.
Second date, we also had a good time. The bill arrived. Same thing. This time I let it sit on the table for probably 15 minutes before I placed my card in the folder.
We decided to meet again.
This time, she asked if I would like to split the bill with her.
This behavior confused me. I called her out by asking, “Are we on a date, or are we friends meeting for dinner?” She insisted we were on a date.
I said, “Well this is intriguing, you want to go Dutch on the third date, but not the first or second? Her reply was a cool: "Yeah.”
Wanting to leave without creating a conflict, I simply paid the bill and expected not to speak to her again.
The following week, she invited me to brunch.
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