But he just sipped the last of his champagne with that casual indifference. “Look, if it’s such a big deal, I’ll pay you back at home.”
My dad didn’t let it slide. “Unbelievable.
Not even a gift? This was it?”
I wanted to cry and shout. But more than anything, I wanted to understand what I had missed about this man.
I paid the bill, gripping my card a little too hard, my stomach in knots.
Coming back home, I finally confronted him. “Henry, what was that about? Why would you put me on the spot like that?”
“Oh, come on, Nora,” he said.
“You’re making this way bigger than it is. We share finances. What difference does it make?”
“The difference,” I said, struggling to keep my voice steady, “is that it’s about respect.
It’s about valuing me, especially on a night that’s supposed to be special.”
His voice was laced with impatience. “Look, I don’t know what you want me to say. I forgot my wallet.
You could’ve laughed it off. It wasn’t supposed to be an attack on your precious ego.”
“I thought I knew you, Henry,” I whispered, feeling the weight of my own words. “I thought…you’d be someone I could rely on.
Not someone who’d embarrass me in front of my parents.”
Henry sighed. “I told you, Nora, you’re overreacting.”
That night, I lay awake, feeling the weight of decisions I wasn’t ready to face. Sometimes, it’s the smallest actions that reveal the biggest truths.
So here I am, wondering what I should do next.
Can you give me advice? Thank you so much.
