To pay or not to pay?

      Last week I went on a double date with my best friend and his girlfriend. It was my first time meeting her, they've been going out for some time now. Their relationship is...odd. Well, not odd, but different from those i've seen. I'm not going to get into other aspects of their relationship, but there was one thing that struck me as, not ok.
      When it was time to pay, I paid for half the check and let him pay for the other half. He divided his half in two for her and him to pay. The way he did it was what set the alarm off in my head...It was as if she knew that she had to pay for her share of the bill. Not as in, they spoke about it before dinner, more like it's a common thing... After dinner we walked for a while,  so i decided to ask him. Turns out my observation was correct. They have a rule that whenever they go out, each must pay their own way...
      Maybe i'm sorta old-school and my chivalry is a little outdated, but i cant have my woman paying every time. My wife and I have been together for many years. Im not going to claim that she never pays for me, she has. But its a rare event...In my book, men pay all the time women pay rarely. You can pay every 20th or 30th time we go out, but no less than that. It just makes me feel less of a man. I feel like i'm taking advantage of her.
      My friend asked me "So if you find yourself going out with a wealthy woman, you wouldn't let her buy you expensive gifts and take you to fancy dinners?"... Of course i would, she's wealthy...but I wouldn't let it happen often. Cause i know that deep inside I would feel less of a man. I would eventually find myself taking her to extravagant places and giving her gifts I can barely afford.
      Ladies, men don't have to buy your happiness, but they do have to make you feel special. I understand some of you strong, independent women out there feel like you have to support yourselves. But trust me when i tell you that, a man has to feel like a man. So, even if you dont need him, make him feel like you do. If he wants to take care of you, let him. Hey, more money in your pocket... ;-)