Who Pays?

Liz kept looking at the clock, eager for the day to end. She needed to get her kids from school and take them to her parents’ house for the evening. It had been years since Liz had dated. She was as nervous as she had been on her first date at fifteen. Going out on the town was one of those things Liz could not afford on her meager preschool teacher salary. Her ex-husband had ditched her and the children a few years back. He had left her with a mortgage and a car payment she could not afford. He moved frequently from one girlfriend to another and managed to evade paying any child support.

Liz did not like wallowing in self-pity. She had picked the loser and had children with him. What did she expect? Her college degree in history was useless when it came to getting a decent job that paid the bills. All she had to show for her college education was a pile of student loans.

Liz was beautiful, even if she didn't see it. Her long, thick, wavy, deep brown hair, high cheekbones, and long legs were attractive to men. Liz, however, always picked the wrong type of man. She didn't even know what her right type was. At thirty years old with two kids, Liz decided to go it alone. She longed for Prince Charming to come along and whisk her off her feet, but that seemed unlikely.

When Liz met Matt, of all places, at the grocery store, his smile had made her stomach flutter. He was good-looking and dressed in an expensive, classy suit. At least, it looked pricey to Liz. Matt was funny and down to earth. He worked at one of the largest law firms in the city. Liz just told him she was a teacher. She was just not one that worked for the school district.

"Would you like to grab lunch sometime?" Matt asked.

"Oh, thanks, but no. I need to eat lunch at school with the kids," she responded. That was true, but Liz had other reasons not to welcome a man in her life. When she lost her home in foreclosure, she and the kids moved into what she called a ratty trailer in a trashy neighborhood. She was embarrassed to let anyone know where she lived. Liz kept the inside of her home cute, cozy, and clean, even with two kids. The outside of her ratty trailer was another matter. It blended into its trashy neighborhood.

Liz wasn't used to being this broke. She grew up in one of those fancy neighborhoods with big houses and an HOA. Her parents had told her to come home to live, but that would be admitting how she had messed things up. No, Liz did it on her own. She bought groceries with food stamps and bought their clothes at thrift stores. She was meticulous and had good taste, so they always looked nice, but Matt seemed a bit above her pay grade.

She caved into giving Matt her phone number and accepted his Facebook friend request. What could it hurt to get to know someone with a bit of class and money? She assumed Matt wasn't broke like she was. That fancy job at Miller, Thomas, & Wilson Law Associates and his Mercedes oozed success.

Liz admitted she worked at a daycare, not the local public school. The nice car her ex had left got repossessed. She had purchased a cheap used car, one that would do for local driving. She and Matt had different lifestyles. There was no question about that. He spent money like the well would never dry up. His club memberships cost more than her rent. Liz counted every nickel she spent. She hinted that money was very tight raising two children but avoided any deep conversations about money. It was embarrassing to be poorer than she looked.

After two months of texting and phone conversations, Matt convinced her to go to dinner with him. Liz was uncomfortable with their social status gap and wanted to be upfront, so she shared her tight financial position. Liz explained what it was like parenting and providing for her kids alone. She thought Matt ought to date a woman who matched him professionally and financially, and she told him so.

He persisted; he wanted to take her to his favorite steakhouse in Atlanta, Marcell Steakhouse. Liz had heard of it. It was expensive, and she had nothing nice to wear, nothing that came to mind. Matt refused to let up on the pressure. Liz finally agreed but did not want him picking her up at her ratty trailer in the trashy neighborhood. "I'll ask my parents if they will watch my kids, and you can pick me up from their house," she responded.

Liz dug through her closet for clothes she had not worn since college. She found an outfit that was a bit sexy and still in style. Black is timeless and always stylish, she told herself. It was easy to convince her mom to watch the children for the evening. She had told her mom about Matt, at least where he worked. Her mom was thrilled to see Liz do anything besides work and be a mom. Being a mom and working at a daycare were good things, but she wanted Liz to branch out socially.

Liz arrived at her parents' house with time to spare. She had her black dress and make-up with her to shower and get herself all dolled up in her old bedroom. She was excited to go on a fancy date.

Matt arrived at 7:00 on the dot in his Mercedes and honked the horn to let Liz know he was waiting for her. Liz turned beet red and looked at her mom. "You've got to be kidding me," her mom said in a shocked tone.

"Well, it is too late now." Liz shrugged and walked out the door.

Matt reached across the front seat to unlock the passenger seat door for Liz to get in the car. Strike two, Liz took a mental note. "Our reservations are at 7:30, so we'll be right on time," speaking more to himself than to Liz. They arrived at 7:25, just in time for Matt to park using two parking spaces. He did not want anyone putting a ding in his car. Strike three.

The hostess ushered them to their reserved table and handed them each a fancy menu and glasses of water. Liz looked at the menu and started coughing. She thought she was about to choke at the cost of the steaks. She quickly took a sip of water to calm her nerves. Liz felt out of her league.

"What would you like to order? Choose anything you want," Finally, Matt was being a gentleman.

Liz didn't pick the most expensive entrée. But neither did she select the least expensive one. Liz had never eaten such a costly dinner, even with her parents at business dinners. She was now too broke to entertain such an expense. She preferred to see herself as financially broke and not poor. Being broke was temporary. Being poor felt like a life sentence.

The evening progressed, and Liz admitted she enjoyed the best steak she had ever eaten. The waiter brought desserts displayed on a large platter. How could one refuse a tempting dessert that looked too good to eat? Liz made her choice. "I have no room for dessert, but I'll take the cheesecake with the cherry topping, anyway." She wondered if it was too tacky to ask the waiter to put her dessert in a take-home box. Yes, probably too tacky, she thought.

Liz was eager to get home to her kids and back in her comfort zone. The waiter asked Matt if there was anything else they needed. Matt replied, "Just the check, oh separate checks, please." Liz thought she might faint on the spot – Bonus strike four - She could not afford the outrageously costly meal she had just consumed.

Liz had to think fast and remember how much money she had in her bank account. Her mom had given her money for the children's music lessons and swimming classes. She did let her parents help with all the fun stuff for the kids, but that was all. Liz calculated the children's fun money should cover her part of the bill. She breathed a sigh of relief when her debit card did not get declined.

"Oh, Matt, do you mind stopping at the grocery store before you drop me off at my parents? I need just a few things for the kids' lunches." Liz had a plan.

"Sure, no problem. I need a few things myself," Matt replied.

Liz put items in her cart that she could never afford. She was always very frugal with her food budget, as her food stamps couldn't feed three people. Liz continued to add coveted food items to her cart. Okay, this is enough, she thought to herself. "I'm ready to check out. Are you?" she asked Matt.

"Yep, I'm ready. I just needed some beer and wine," Matt replied.

All the cashier lines were long, so they got in line and waited their turn. Finally, Liz unloaded her cart of her children's favorite foods. She watched as the cashier's machine tallied up her precious groceries. Her eyes widened when she saw the total cost.

Liz took a deep breath and turned to Matt. She purposely talked loud enough for everyone within hearing distance to hear her. "Oh, sweetheart, I left my debit card at the restaurant. You don't mind using your card for our groceries, do you?"

It was Matt's turn to blush beet red. He looked around and saw the other customers watching him. "Oh, sweetheart. I don't mind at all," Matt cynically mumbled, then retrieved his credit card from his wallet.

They walked silently and quickly to Matt's Mercedes. "What the frickin' heck? What was that trick for?" Matt fumed.

"What was that for?" Liz retorted. "You asked me to dinner. You selected the expensive restaurant. You told me to choose anything I wanted. You asked for separate checks. I used money given to me by my mom for my kids' music and swimming lessons. So, THAT was for the cost of my dinner, plus some."

Liz put her groceries into the trunk of her car when they arrived back at her parents. Matt sped away while her mother watched everything from the front door. "What was that all about?" her mom asked with curiosity and concern.

"Don't ask. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. Thanks for watching the kids, Mom. Come on, kiddos, let's go home. I bought your favorite snacks."