[FULL] Celebrated Turning 18 with a Big Plate of Nothing

Kate Podcast
18 followers
I expected my family to pay for my birthday dinner,
but they didn't, and I couldn't eat.
Yesterday, I turned 18 years old.
For the past six years, like clockwork,
every year on my birthday,
we go to the same place for dinner,
and I always get the same thing.
For those who are a bit confused,
I have extreme OCD and high-functioning autism,
which means I'm very well-regulated
and like things to stay the same way
that they always have been.
Back to the story.
Every year on my birthday, we go to Applebee's.
The first thing I get is the steak and shrimp parmesan
with a side of loaded mashed potatoes
and cheesy steamed broccoli, hate me or not,
with a side of mozzarella sticks.
In total, it's around $30, a bit expensive, I know.
I couldn't really tell something was off until a bit later
because when my mother, my stepfather,
my older brother, and I sat down,
they didn't really say anything.
I was confused at first and started tapping my fingers
on one another like I always do.
The conversation went a little bit like this.
Mother, well, I was rather confused.
Me, mother, aren't you gonna call the waiter over?
This gave me extreme anxiety.
I have extreme issues with speaking with people
and tend to stutter and get very, very scared,
if that's the right word.
I asked her if she could do it, and she did it in a huff.
My dad and brother stared nonchalantly
as she called the waiter over.
The alarm bells were ringing in my head.
This is never how it went before.
As the waiter got to the table,
he asked everyone what they wanted
and took everyone's orders.
As he got to me, my mother stopped him
and told him, separate bill.
This is when my heart began beating very fast.
I don't have a job.
All the money I get is from our neighbors for raking leaves.
I just kind of froze.
I didn't really say anything,
and I got a really bad stomachache from the anxiety.
This is where I'm conflicted
on whether I'm the jerk or not.
My mother explained at the table
that now that I am 18,
I should be able to pay for my own things.
I was already feeling nauseous from the situation,
so I just said I didn't have the money.
My mom kind of huffed and shooed the waiter away,
souring the dinner party.
However, my mom also paid for my 23-year-old brother.
And my family kept calling me an entitled little brat
the whole ride home.
When I got home, I just ran to my room and cried.
They've been ignoring me the whole day.
I may be bad at social cues,
but my family has never acted like this before.
I mean, never.
They've been treating me horribly the whole day.
I feel very angry and upset at my family.
If I would have been warned,
I would have saved my raking money.
I also don't mean for this to be a validation post.
I have all the information you have.
I'm just very confused,
and I'm terrible with social cues.
Aspergers, am I right?
My family gets a little tight on money.
I guess I really should have asked
before I assumed they were gonna pay for me,
but I missed out on my birthday dinner
because I wasn't mature enough to bring my own money.
I'm just gonna rake leaves for a couple of weeks
to save up enough money to order it for takeout.
