I think I ruined my girlfriend's birthday by noticing a small detail.
By @hankok2 · Relationships
For her 30th birthday, her parents got her a very expensive designer bag she's wanted forever. I was looking at it later, and I'm almost certain it's a fake.
The full story
My girlfriend just turned 30 and she's been talking about this one specific designer bag for years. It's thousands of dollars, way out of reach for us, but it was her 'holy grail' item. For her birthday party this weekend, her parents surprised her with it. She was ecstatic, crying, the whole nine yards. It was a really sweet moment. Her parents are not wealthy, so this was a massive gesture. Later that night after the party, she was showing it to me again, just admiring it. I used to work in luxury retail for a couple years in college, so I know a bit about spotting fakes. As I looked closer at the stitching and the hardware, I got this sinking feeling. The logo font is just slightly off, and the leather doesn't feel quite right. I am about 99% sure it's a very good replica, but a replica nonetheless. I didn't say anything, of course. She is on cloud nine. But I am eaten up by this. I feel like her parents probably got scammed, maybe they bought it from a less-than-reputable online seller thinking they were getting a deal. The problem is, my girlfriend has a very sharp eye for these things too. She hasn't noticed yet because she's just so overwhelmed with happiness, but I'm terrified she'll eventually realize it on her own and be devastated. I don't know if I should gently bring it up, maybe suggest we get it 'authenticated for insurance purposes' or something to reveal the truth, or if I should just keep my mouth shut and pray she never notices. If she finds out, it will crush her, and it will be humiliating for her parents who tried to do something so wonderful for her.
How people voted
- OP Is Right — 31% (42 votes)
- Both Messy — 38% (52 votes)
- OP Is Wrong — 31% (42 votes)
Readers are split: “Both Messy” leads with 38% — 136 votes and 5 comments so far.
What people are saying
@ineswelp — You don't inspect a gift.
@danalately — let her be happy.
@hmokay — What happens if she tries to get it insured and finds out that way?
@sortaright — My dad bought my mom a 'diamond' necklace from a home shopping channel once. She knew, he knew she knew, and nobody ever said a word about it.
@ashlately — It's the emotional affair with the truth that's killing you.
Keep reading
- I made a full-blown PowerPoint presentation to prove my point in an argument with my girlfriend.
- I will never understand straight men's obsession with ranking women.
- I have a recurring calendar event to remind me to run my dishwasher.
- I lied to my boyfriend about our apartment being haunted to get out of our lease.
- I accidentally found my boyfriend's extremely detailed spreadsheet ranking me and all his ex-girlfriends.