DEAR ABBY: My husband and I were recently invited to a neighbor's surprise 30th birthday party. It was held at an expensive restaurant and nothing was said about who was paying for the dinner.
At the restaurant, the waiter explained the limited menu options to the 20 guests. No prices were mentioned, nor were we given the opportunity to make a selection from the menu. (I just assumed that our host had selected the food, so who was to argue?)
Imagine my surprise when, at the end of the evening, we were each handed a bill. Only one person paid in cash.
Question: Who was responsible for paying for the dinner? The host or the guests? -- ONE EXPENSIVE EVENING
P.S. We all brought gifts, and most paid for a baby sitter for the evening.
DEAR EXPENSIVE EVENING: When people are invited to a birthday party, they naturally assume they are guests.
It was a surprise party in every sense of the word. The hosts were surprisingly ignorant of the social graces.