When it was our anniversary, my husband took me to a fancy restaurant but only let me order a cheap salad. He will never forget that special day.
On their tenth wedding anniversary, Emma’s husband Mark took her to the nicest restaurant in town, just to make her feel bad with a cheap salad. He didn’t know that the next night she would make him and the whole diner pay for being so mean.
The chandelier’s soft glow filled the dining room with warm, golden light. The fancy table sets and velvet chairs made the room look classy.
Mark, my husband, had told me that our tenth wedding anniversary would be the best one ever. I had imagined an extravagant evening with fancy food and bubbly wine.
I saw how the waiters smiled at each other as they sat us down. It looked like they knew Mark well. He was going to enjoy a meal at “La Belle Époque,” the most expensive restaurant in town. Tonight was one of those important events that were meant to happen here.
Mark gave me the menu with a smile that didn’t mean anything. “Place any order you please, dear,” he said, but his eyes told me something else. I quickly looked through the menu, which was packed with pricey but delicious-sounding things that made my mouth water.
I told them, “I think I’ll start with the lobster bisque and then the fillet mignon.” I was very excited.
Mark’s smile got smaller. In fact, would you mind starting with a house salad? Keep it short. Sure, you really want to lose weight, right? Maybe you’ll wear that beautiful red dress I’ve been eyeing the next time we get together.
His words were like a slap. As I looked around, I got a sharp flush of shame. Was this a joke in his mind? The hard sparkle in his eyes, on the other hand, told me he was serious.
“Mark, it’s our anniversary,” I said in a low voice. “I believed—”
He waved his hand and told the waiter, “You were wrong.” “The Chateaubriand will be medium rare for me, and the house salad for my wife.” “Along with your best red wine.”
The waiter stopped and looked at me with pity. “All right, sir.”
Seeing a sad pile of green salad in front of me made me swallow my anger. Mark enjoyed every bite of his fancy dinner, which showed how soft the steak was and how rich the sauce was. For him at least, there was plenty of wine. As I sipped my water, I wished the meal would never end.
Putting up with Mark’s bossy behaviour during dinner was very hard. He enjoyed every bite of his steak and talked about it while I picked at my salad.
No matter how hard I tried to stay calm, my anger was building up inside. He put his dessert order—a rich chocolate soufflé—and said, “She’s done.” He didn’t even look at me.
I felt bad about myself. And here I was, being ignored on the occasion of our wedding. As he ate his treat, I decided I would not let this go. For all the wrong reasons, I would make sure that he would remember this occasion. I smiled to myself and began to think of a plan.
I got up early the next morning. Mark snored over next to me. I got out of bed quietly as my mind was full of thoughts. I began working alone after he left for work. I made a lot of plans and asked friends to do a few things for me. It was time to switch places.
I worked on it all day. I first talked to the people in charge of “La Belle Époque.” After giving my reason, I made a ticket for the same table the next night.
The manager decided to help because he knew what was going on. Then I called a friend who worked at a shop and borrowed the beautiful red dress that Mark had always said was so pretty.
My friend is a lawyer, so I called him and he helped me open a personal bank account. She checked the details of our account and the cash Mark had hidden for emergencies. I felt ready to take the next step after getting the money.
I told Mark, “Meet me at La Belle Époque at 7 PM,” in a note after getting everything ready. Put on pretty clothes. Emma.”
When Mark got home, everything was ready. The message was on the kitchen counter, and there was no sound in the house. When he found it, he probably smiled because he thought he could get away with one more night of luxury on my account. He had no idea what I was going to do to him.
While I was getting ready for the evening, I felt both nervous and excited. I knew this was a dangerous move, but I had to make it. I wanted Mark to treat me like a person again, and I wanted to show him that. On a very different level, this occasion was going to be one we would both never forget.
Mark walked into the restaurant with a smug look on his face. Right away I was sat down, dressed in the red outfit he loved. He sat down, and I gave him a strange, charming smile.
In answer, I pointed to the waitress and said, “You’ll see.” “I’m going to place our order for us.”
He narrowed his eyes but didn’t say anything. The waiter brought out the first dish, which was lobster bisque. For both of us. Mark’s eyes got really big, but he didn’t say anything. This steak mignon was cooked to perfection and was served next. As the best wine in the house was poured, I saw him get more and more lost.
He said hesitantly, “I don’t understand, Emma.” We were here just yesterday. “What is the event?”
“Our anniversary,” I said, and my sweetness filled the whole sentence. “Well, that was a night to remember.” I’d rather not think about what happened last night. I’m going to remember this, and I made sure you would too.
Mark went from not knowing what to do to being suspicious. He looked around the restaurant and tried to make sense of everything. He was making me feel good, so I kept a close eye on him. I loved every bite of the main course when it came out. As Mark tried to figure out what was going on, he didn’t pay much attention to his food.
Everyone in the restaurant paid attention when I stood up and made a toast. “Excuse me, everyone. There is something special I need to say.
Mark looked like he was scared. I asked Emma, “What are you doing?”
When I said, “I just wanted to share something with all of you,” my voice stayed firm and sure. “My husband took me here for our anniversary last night, but he insisted I get a cheap salad while he ate something nice.” Tonight, I wanted to show him what real hunger feels like.
There were murmurings going on in the room. Mark’s face turned red as a tomato. Emma, please sit down, he hissed.
I didn’t care about him. But that’s not all. Mark, you’ve always liked being in charge and giving. I used the emergency funds you have been keeping from me for years to pay for our dinner tonight.
He opened his mouth wide. “What?” How were you able to—”
“Oh, Mark, you should already know that I’m smarter than you are.” Not only that, but also! Ladies and gentlemen, I have good news for you all: my husband is giving you all some of his money and paying for all of your lunch today.
Mark’s face turned white. “This is not funny, Emma.”
“No, it’s not,” I said as I got up. “But it’s okay.”
I felt like the last ten years were taken away as I turned to leave. People cheered as I walked out the door, and Mark just sat there, looking shocked and ashamed.
This anniversary was something he would always remember. I also wouldn’t do that.
Fiction has been used to make the story more interesting, but the ideas behind it come from real people and events. Names, characters, and other details have been changed to protect privacy and make the story better. If there are any similarities to real people, living or dead, or real events, it was an accident and not the author’s purpose.
The distributor and author don’t take responsibility for any misunderstandings and don’t say anything about how true the events or characters are. The people in this story have their own thoughts, which may not be the same as those of the author or publisher. You can read the story “as is.”
