Result of Being Flattered Completing Story

Twenty years ago, I lived in an apartment with a view of a cemetery. Back then, I barely had enough money to get by. At that time, a kind lady sent me a letter praising something I had written in the newspaper. This made me very happy, so I wrote her a thank-you letter in return. Shortly after, she wrote again, saying she was passing through my city and wanted to meet and chat.

In her letter, she mentioned she had some free time the following Friday and suggested having a small lunch at a fancy place called Hotel A B International. Now, this hotel was super expensive, a place only rich folks visited. I had never even thought about going there before. But I was too young to say "no" to a lady's request. So, I wrote back and agreed to the lunch at the fancy hotel. I figured I could manage if I skipped breakfast for the next two weeks. I had only 4000 taka left for the rest of the month, and I thought a reasonable lunch wouldn't cost more than 1000 taka.

On the appointed day, I met her at the hotel. She wasn't as young and attractive as I had imagined. Turns out, she was around forty years old. That was the first surprise. But the biggest shock was yet to come. When it was time to order, she chose the most expensive dishes from the menu, one after the other.

I started feeling really worried. I wasn't sure if I had enough money to cover the bill. I felt too anxious to even eat. I settled for a soft drink. Finally, she finished her meal, and the waiter brought the bill. It amounted to 3950 taka.

After paying the bill, I gave the waiter the remaining 50 taka as a tip. When I left the hotel, I realized I had an entire month ahead of me and not a single taka left in my pocket. I had learned a hard lesson for letting flattery lead me astray.