A few people gave me a thumbs-up. Someone called me a big spender.
It was nothing more than a small moment, but apparently someone had taken note.
Sandra made it sound like she was "borrowing" my membership, but really, she just wanted to spend the money on my card.
When she saw my eyes go wide, Sandra gave my shoulder a light pat.
“Oh come on, you're not going to say no, are you? We're coworkers!”
“You can afford a premium membership at a place like this, so what's a little dinner?”
“Don't be so stingy!”
“I'll buy you a boba next time, my treat!”
A boba.
A four-dollar boba in exchange for a thousand-dollar seafood dinner.
She really knew how to work the math.
I was just about to open my mouth and call her on it.
But the cashier spoke first.
Her tone was polite, almost apologetic.
“I'm sorry, ma'am, but this account has a remaining balance of one dollar. For the remaining $1,299, would you like to pay by card or by phone?”
Sandra froze.
She stared blankly at the cashier, disbelief plastered across her face.
“There's only one dollar left on the card?”
Then she whipped her head toward me.
It must have just hit her that I'd said I brought my parents and my sister here for dinner.
The color rushed to her face. She strode over and stopped right in front of me.
Her tone was pure accusation.
“Amanda Fox, you spent it all?”
“There are a million restaurants in Havenport and you had to come to this one? Did you do this on purpose just to screw me over?!”
“Fine, so you came here, but did you have to order that much?!”
“What, were your parents and your sister starving? Never had a decent meal in their lives? They get to the city and just stuff their faces?!”
“I'm surprised they didn't choke on it!”
The angrier she got, the louder she got. “I can't believe this! All that money on the card, gone, and you left me one dollar!”
“What am I supposed to do now?”
“You're paying my bill. Thirteen hundred dollars. You owe me that.”
I stared at Sandra in shock.
Her face was twisted with rage, every feature contorted.
I pointed at myself. “You want me to pay your bill? On what planet?”
“Sandra, I'm not your father and I'm not your mother. Why should I pay for your dinner?”
Sandra craned her neck forward, defiant. “If there hadn't been money on your card, would I have come here to eat?”
“And ordered all that food!”
“Now that you've blown through every cent, of course you have to cover it!”
Wait. Her logic. I honestly could not follow it.
She came here to eat because my card had money on it?
How was the money on my card any of her business?
Sandra held her palm out toward me. “I don't care. You are paying for tonight's dinner. End of story.”
“You're loaded anyway. Thirteen hundred bucks is nothing to you!”
I was so angry I actually laughed.
“Sandra, do you even hear yourself right now?”
“You used my card without my permission. That was bad enough. Now the balance is empty and you want me to foot your bill too?!”
“If I hadn't happened to bring my family here tonight, you would have drained every last dollar off my card!”
Sandra lifted her chin, bold as brass.
“So what? We're coworkers. You can't treat me to one meal?”
She said it like it was nothing.
One meal. Thirteen hundred dollars.
Did I look like a pushover to her?
I looked Sandra up and down, let out a cold laugh, and turned on my heel.
Sandra panicked. She lunged after me, but the cashier grabbed her arm.
“Ma'am, you still haven't paid!”
Sandra shook the cashier off. “Did I say I wasn't going to pay? I'll pay in a minute!”
“Touch me again and I'm calling the cops!”
Her eyes were vicious. The cashier stumbled backward, startled, and hurried to apologize.
