A 32-year-old woman had been dating her 39-year-old boyfriend for several months when she started noticing a frustrating pattern. Every time they went out to eat, something seemed off. At first, it didn’t bother her, but as time passed, she began to feel more and more upset. Finally, she decided she couldn’t ignore it anymore and needed to do something about it.
The couple had been together for nine months. Her boyfriend had two young children from a previous relationship, and every week, they would go out for dinner together as a family. The kids loved dining out, so it became a regular routine. But there was one big problem: her boyfriend always “forgot” his wallet.
At first, the woman didn’t think much of it. She would pay for the meal, no big deal. But after a few weeks, the constant forgetting started to wear on her. Every time they went to a restaurant, he would say, “Oh, I forgot my wallet at home,” leaving her with no choice but to cover the bill. It wasn’t just the cost of the meals; it was the feeling that he wasn’t taking responsibility.
This went on for months. However, the last straw came when she had just been paid from her second part-time job. Excited to finally have some extra cash, she was looking forward to a nice dinner. She and her boyfriend were heading out with his kids again, and knowing how often he “forgot” his wallet, she decided to send him a text reminder. “Don’t forget your wallet!” she wrote, hoping he’d take her seriously this time.
Her boyfriend laughed off the text and didn’t seem worried at all. But when they arrived at the restaurant, things went downhill quickly. The kids ordered a bunch of new, expensive dishes from the menu, excited about their usual dining out experience. Before they started eating, the woman decided to ask her boyfriend once more if he had his wallet.
She could see him freeze, looking confused as he started patting his pockets. After a moment, he looked at her, embarrassed, and said, “I guess I forgot it in the other pair of jeans I thought I was going to wear.”
This time, the woman had had enough. She was tired of the excuses. Her patience was gone. When he asked if she could pay for the meal this time, she stood up and grabbed her things, ready to leave the restaurant.
“What are you doing?” he asked in surprise.
She looked him straight in the eyes and said, “I’m not paying for you and your kids again.” And with that, she walked out.
Later that evening, her boyfriend called her, furious. He yelled at her, saying she was being selfish and that she had no sympathy for him or his children. He told her he had to cancel the food order and take his kids home hungry because he couldn’t pay for their meals.
“You’re willing to let them go hungry because of your selfishness?” he shouted.
The argument continued, with him accusing her of being unreasonable and not thinking about his kids. He told her she needed to reconsider how she treated his children.
Feeling frustrated and confused, the woman turned to Reddit for advice. She shared her side of the story, unsure if she had done the right thing. Many Reddit users quickly came to her defense. They agreed that her boyfriend was taking advantage of her kindness and that he was being unfair to expect her to cover the bills every time.
One Reddit user commented, “It’s not about being selfish, it’s about being tired of being taken for granted. He should be responsible for his own finances, especially when he’s with his kids.”
Another user added, “He’s treating her like an ATM. She’s right to stand up for herself and walk out.”
But some others thought she should have handled it differently. They suggested she could have paid for the meal and talked to him about it later, rather than leaving him in front of his kids.
What do you think? Was the woman right to walk out on her boyfriend and his kids after he forgot his wallet, or should she have paid for them and discussed it calmly afterward? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
