The best part of dating: Have you ever had an experience that made you realize how calculating women can be?

It’s Joe. I got beaten to the punch, but leave that kind of excitement to Joe (sobbing). I’ve already covered the details in a column, so I’ll spare you those. To put it simply in terms of money, I transferred an eight-figure sum, after which she stopped responding. As for the latest development, negotiations dragged on a little, and in the end I gave the woman—“Scarlett,” a pseudonym—the allowance she requested. Just as we were about to proceed, she apparently took offense at the fact that I had negotiated at all, and Scarlett suddenly left the room. Of course, she took the allowance with her. Truly, “Gone with the Allowance.”

I’m Saito, the columnist ♪ Women who negotiate the allowance right before things go all the way ♪