Dating Disasters: ‘I was hoping for a nice evening, but that was not in the cards’

In Dating Disasters vertellen anonieme lezers over hun gênantste, meest tenenkrommende en dramatische dates. Deze week is er een man aan het woord: better spoiled than neglected.

After being single for a long time, my friends thought it was time for me to open up to love again. It's not that I wasn't waiting for it, but I believe that such things should just come your way. Still, I agreed to a blind date with a woman who knew a friend of mine through his work. I didn't know what to expect, although I did get to see a photo under slight duress so I would at least know who I was supposed to wait for. She looked good, so I was looking forward to it.

As agreed, I arrived on the evening of the date at the restaurant where our mutual friend had made a reservation for us. He clearly took his cupid duties very seriously. I was hoping for a pleasant evening, but when my date walked in, I already knew that was probably not going to happen. She gave me a limp handshake and everything about her demeanor screamed that she didn't want to be there. I lied to myself that it was probably just nerves, and we walked inside together.

Once at our table, she paused for a moment. I wondered aloud if she was making an escape plan in her head, but she said she thought it was the man's job to pull out her chair. Okay then, someone who calls me out on my gentleman duties. In a way, she was right; I had just sat down like a clumsy oaf.

When we finally sat down, we looked at the menu. I ordered a steak with fries and salad and asked her what she wanted to eat. She indicated she didn't want anything and only asked for water. When the food arrived, we had exchanged about five words, and while I enjoyed my steak, she was just pouting and twirling her finger around her glass. For every question I asked, I got a curt answer, and I could forget about her asking any questions back. What kind of awkward scene had I landed in? To be honest, I wondered if this was maybe a prank from my friends, but the longer this drama of a date lasted, the more that hope began to fade.

After the meal, she wanted to go home, so I offered to give her a ride. She said she would like that, but she didn't get up at the same time as me. Oh yeah, shit. I thought. That chair. I pulled out her chair and hoped this was gentlemanly enough to get her out of the restaurant with me. My back was already hurting from carrying a personality for two on this date, so I really wanted to go home.

At the car, I had learned my lesson: I opened the door for her, and in silence, we drove towards her house. Man, what a painful affair this was. Upon arrival, she somehow managed to squeeze out a mouse-like: ‘thank you’ before slamming the door shut. Closing doors clearly suited her well. I didn't know how quickly I could drive home. On the way, I called my friend and banned him from ever arranging a date for me again. I never saw the woman in question again. I'm not losing sleep over it, and I don't really get the impression that she is either. On to the next date, preferably with someone I have chosen myself.

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