Paying the price of a date with a pretty face
If a girl goes on a date with a boy, who should pay for the food or cinema tickets? The old-fashioned idea is that the boy should pay. But nowadays, with girls and boys having the same amount of pocket money, costs are often shared.
In Sunday's Songbirds radio drama, you will hear a radio play called, 'Zoo Story'. In the story the girl pays for everything. Cindy, a secondary school student, is in the same class as Wilson, a handsome boy. She gazes at him during the lessons instead of looking at the teacher. Finally she gets a date with him. But Wilson knows that he is handsome and he knows that a lot of girls want to go out with him. He therefore takes advantage of this by allowing the girls to pay for him.
In the extract below, Cindy and Wilson are going to visit the zoo in Central. They live in the New Territories and normally would take a bus or the MTR, but Wilson decides it would be quicker and cooler to take a taxi. But who is going to pay?
Cindy: Shall we go to the zoo then?
Wilson: Good idea.
Cindy: Let's catch a bus.
Wilson: On no, I hate buses, they're so slow.
Cindy: Okay, let's go by the MTR.
Wilson: Oh no, the MTR is far too crowded.
Cindy: Well how are we going to get there?
Wilson: By taxi.
Cindy: Taxi?
Wilson: Please Cindy. It's so hot and I'm tired, I had a late night last night.
Cindy: Okay then.
They catch a taxi and when they get to the zoo the fare is very high. It soon becomes clear that Wilson is not prepared to pay anything towards the cost of the fare.
Taxi Driver: That will be $140.
Cindy: That's so expensive.
Taxi Driver: Hey, I'm not lying to you. It's on the meter. Look.
Wilson: He's right. Go on Cindy. Pay the driver and stop making him angry.
Well, the day continues this way with Wilson expecting Cindy to pay for everything. Do you think Cindy gets fed up with him? Or is she so much in love with his looks that she just pays up? But what if her money runs out? What will happen to them then? To find out tune in to Songbirds on Sunday at noon or Thursday at 7pm.
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