What struck me most was how rehearsed the whole thing felt. The organized layout, the specific wording, the entire fabricated professionalism—this clearly was not a quick, spur-of-the-moment prank. He had almost certainly done this before, or at the very least, had thought about executing this kind of scheme multiple times.
Perhaps he fully expected me to simply laugh it off, or to play along, thereby feeding his desperate need for control, which he mistook for wit. Instead, I did the one thing that truly undermined him: I completely ignored him after my final, simple reply.
Meanwhile, my phone remained peacefully and blissfully quiet. There was no more contact from the ‘gentleman’ and no more absurd invoices. Just welcome peace and quiet.
Looking back now, I can almost appreciate the absurdity of the whole ordeal. The evening had started out like a scene from a romantic comedy—all roses, charm, and laughter—but it quickly spiraled into a cautionary, eye-opening tale about the deeper issues of modern dating and a terrible sense of entitlement.Continue reading…