At one point, age came up. I mentioned—calmly—that I usually don’t date men much older than me. Not an accusation. Just a preference.
He smiled. But something shifted. His jaw tightened. His answers shortened.
When the check came, he paid with theatrical ease. We hugged politely and went our separate ways. I got home thinking, That was fine. Probably won’t see him again.
I was wrong.
That night, my phone rang. Unknown number. I answered.
“This is David’s mother.”
I laughed. I thought it was a joke.
It wasn’t.
She explained that David was very upset. Apparently, my comment about age had “hurt his feelings.” If I wasn’t serious about him, she said, it was inappropriate to accept a free dinner. The “right thing” would be to reimburse half the bill.
