Saturday, 09.04.2010 - 10:57 pm.
Something very uncomfortable happened today. Victoria, another guy -mutual friend of all of us- and I were going to meet up with Victor2 for his birthday. We went for buffalo wings and it was all awesome. But then the check comes and the guy says we split it in three.
I know it's customary that the birthday person eats for free but that's not quite costumary among people in my circle. Could be that I move in a circle in which most of my friends have financial struggles, so each of us pays for his/her part or we divide it equally if the price is more or less the same for all. Even if it's a birthday.
So even at this hour I'm a bit horrified that I had to pay twice the price I expected. Look, since I earn my money I'm more carefree on spending it and I'm capable of paying the price of having a good time, but...it still sucks. Also, it surprised me that Victor2 didn't make a move. That was very unlikely of him.
I suppose it was my fault. I organized the gathering so I should have made clear from the invitation that everyone would be paying for their own meal. I took that as understood because that's what it is with my friends. Victoria knew from the beggining but the other guy was just an acquaintance of mine, albeit a close friend of Victor2's. Since he's a grown up (now I think that you're a real grown-up until age 30 because I, at 25, obviously don't live like one), he figured that the kindest, right thing to do was to invite his friend. Which is quite possible, but certainly not what we had in mind.
Victoria and I make half, if not less than half of what they both make. It's especially worse for her, earning less than me and still having to help with expenses at her house. At least I have the chance to save. I was especially embarrassed for making her go overboard. I suggested the place...of course, thinking it'd be split equally, as it's always done in my circle.
And it was more frustrating that Victor2 ordered a double meal. I think we could have dealt with each of us having one meal, but he, the birthday boy, ordered double. The burden was considerably higher.
So this happening has clouded my day, pretty much. I'm sorry, it hurts and angers me to spend twice what I expected to spend, especially when I'm earning a sad amount at a job I hate, two of my three patients at the clinic aren't paying their sessions on time, and I see the strong possibility of a financial crisis ahead. I can't help feeling a bit mad at Victor2 because I thought he would get his part, birthday boy and all. But yeah, next time I will be clear about splitting the bill equally and I will choose a less expensive place.
Can we put this past us, self? Money issues are so delicate and this has really left a bad taste for me. And it makes me embarrassed before Victoria, too. That left her broke until her next paycheck.
After the uncomfortable situation, she and I came to my house and we hung out. We started to watch The dead poets society but then we got a call from Cel to see if we could do something. She was stuck at home, "I'm sorry but can you give me a ride?".
I said of course, but I inmediately turned ice cold. She said she was sorry because she lives in front of Joseph's house and she knows I haven't been to that street since January 2009 and that I get physically sick when I drive nearby. I tried to calm myself down: it's not like he spends his time sitting on the curb. Victoria came with me and I touched her so she could see that my hands were almost frozen.
I drove up the little hill and parked in front of Cel's house. I panicked because she wasn't outside as I asked her to. In front of me, I saw Joseph's house, the gates of the garage left wide open, as usual. A car I'd never seen, parked in the spot where I used to park my car (when his dad's car wasn't there). Nobody in sight.
Victoria called Cel and in the meantime I turned around, so at least I wouldn't be facing his house. Finally she came out and as I drove off, my hands started to get warmer and then very hot, like with fever. But that only lasted a few minutes, if anything. Then Cel assured me that she's never ever seen him or anyone else from his house out on the street. Not once in all the time they were neighbors. In fact, only after Joseph and Cel met at the university found out they lived across the street from each other.
Back at my house, we talked and laughed, grabbed a bite and then went to see Letters to Juliet. The least I could do for Victoria, after the lunch fiasco, was buy her movie ticket. We had a great time. Although I'm very critical of the romantic fantasies I'm being fed when I go see chick flicks, I go see them to let go for a while, and the movie stirred a few feelings in me and made me feel like crying.
And now that I've gotten these things out of my chest, I'll get to bed.
Wait, let's not forget that tonight I scratched my car horribly when I got in the garage. Fantastic.
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