A while ago, (well, actually a very very long while ago - but I am not that old) I dated this guy, and like all dating couples, we went for movies.
Like most guys, he is into action-packed / super-hero kind of movies, with loads of butt-kicking and buildings crumbling everywhere. So, for as far as I could remember, those were the only kind of movies that we would go for. Well, partly because he was always the one to ask for a movie first, and he was almost always ready with something in mind. And I didn't really mind then, because I am not exactly a movie-kind of person, and I felt like it wouldn't really make that much of a difference to me.
This one time though, he asked "what would you like to watch?". I was of course, genuinely surprised. I thought it was very sweet of him to ask. So I told him "The Princess and the Frog".
What, or how he responded after that was shocking. He looked troubled at first, and after pausing for a while, he said "I wouldn't waste money to watch animation/cartoon in a cinema... " (by the way, we "went Dutch", so he wasn't talking about my share, if you're wondering...)
Of course, I was appalled. If anything, he meant that what I liked (to watch) was really a "waste of money". Seeing my expression, he quickly added, "I am sorry, I am a very honest person... and everyone knows I don't like wasting money."
Three things became clear to me:
1. While honesty may be the best policy, it is of no avail when it comes to selfish behaviors.
2. While the "get-the-best-value-for-your-money-mentality" is commendable, quantifying everything in monetary terms isn't. For example, money can't buy the experience of watching together with your other significant, a movie he/she likes (applies to food and other activities).
3. He did at least one thing right - he showed his true colors, in time.
p.s. The Princess and the Frog is the bomb.
