When Sydney started a new job, she just wanted to join her colleagues and enjoy fitting into a team. As per their tradition, the team goes out for a weekly Friday lunch, which ends with an even split of the bill. But there’s one problem: Sydney is paid less and cannot afford these lavish lunches.
So, she teaches her teammates a lesson.
When I started my new job, I was eager to fit in with my colleagues. I mean, I was in a new environment, and I needed to get along with the people I was going to work with daily.
They already had their own traditions, and when they invited me to join, of course, I couldn’t say no. One of their traditions was going out for lunch every Friday, and I didn’t want to seem like the odd one out.
Except, there was a problem.
My colleagues were in a whole different tax bracket.
They were well-established in the company, earning far more than I was, while I was at the beginning of my career, only making ends meet by the skin of my teeth. My entry-level salary had to sustain me while paying off loans, bills, and rent.
Things that my colleagues didn’t have to worry about.
Yet every Friday, like clockwork, we went to these over-the-top restaurants where the bills seemed to climb higher and higher each week.
And without fail, they insisted on splitting the bill evenly. I tried not to let it bother me at first.
I mean, let’s face it, it was just lunch, right? But as the weeks went by, my pockets felt a lot lighter than they should have.
Here’s the thing: I’m a vegetarian. And I’ve always ordered simple food that is easy to eat and delicious.
But my meals are generally salads or small entrées. Meanwhile, two of my colleagues, Josh and Lisa, ordered massive meat platters every single time.
Ribs, steaks, whatever was the most expensive meal on the menu. Their orders easily topped $60, sometimes even more.
And yet, every week, we split the bill evenly. My $15 salad turned into a $35 meal, all thanks to them.
Now, they could afford these meals, so I understood why they wanted to indulge in them. The first few times, I didn’t say anything.
I figured it was just part of the team culture, and I didn’t want to cause any friction as a newbie.
But after a few months, it became unbearable. I was losing almost half of my weekly grocery budget on these lunches, and they didn’t seem to notice. They’d laugh, talk about their weekend plans, and casually drop their credit cards on the table when the bill arrived, not even glancing at the total.
“Sydney,” my mother said sternly when she came over to visit me with large bags full of groceries.
“You’ve got to stand your ground. Would you rather use all your money on one meal and starve for the rest of the month?”
“No, Mom,” I said, digging into the donuts that she had brought over for tea. “But I don’t want to complicate anything because I’m so new.”
“How would you be complicating anything, Syd?” she asked.
“There are certain things that you cannot do because you’re restricted by a budget. They were in your shoes once.”
I nodded, not wanting to get my mother into a mood and have her tell me off for being quiet about the situation.
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