DEAR ABBY: I recently celebrated my sixth anniversary of sobriety. I keep having the same issue pop up time and time again, and I’m not sure how to deal with it.
If I’m invited to dinner with a friend or a group, when the bill comes, someone usually suggests splitting it evenly among the people there.
My issue is that my water and my salad come out to an average of $30, including the tip. Meanwhile, other members of the group order several alcoholic beverages, which in Los Angeles aren’t cheap.
The first time it happened, I’d had dinner with a friend and left the restaurant asking myself why my tab was $80.
What’s a polite way of expressing that I would like to pay only my portion of the bill? I don’t want to seem cheap, but fair is fair.
— SOBER AND SMART IN CALIFORNIA
Dear Abby: Here’s how I ended up paying $80 for a salad and water