Bad dates have happened to all of us, myself included. Here's one of mine: I thought that the good-looking, quiet, and oh-so-mysterious man I worked with was just the sexiest thing I'd ever seen. We flirted with each other without speaking, brushing up against each other in the corridor, making eye contact and then looking away... letting it go on for weeks until, finally, he asked me out. I hardly knew him, but when the day for our date came around, I was ecstatic. There was just something so alluring, so mysterious about him. Hot, right?
It was. That is... until he spoke. When he showed up on the date, I realized that I'd never seen him out of uniform before-- and that he dressed like an idiot. He then went on to tell several stupid jokes, speak as loudly as possible, and expressing undying love for just about everything I hate.
You know the feeling when a date goes wrong. Your heart drops to your stomach with disappointment. This isn't going to work, you think. Not only that, but the date itself is absolute torture. What do you do?
Disappear
Your first option is, of course, the ever-popular disappearing act, perfected by tuxedoed magicians worldwide. You're at the table, pretending to enjoy your dinner. You excuse yourself to the restroom, and "poof!" you're gone. This works really well as a last resort. Unless your date has physically or verbally abused you, he or she doesn't deserve the disappearing act. My advice is to save your magician's tuxedo for another occasion.
Making an Excuse
This works so well that it can be a very tempting option. And while it's not 100% guaranteed to leave you feeling guilt-free in the morning, it's an easy way to get out without hurting your incredibly annoying date's incredible fragile ego.
There are a few ways to pull this one off. If you can tell right away that things aren't going to work, you can start the whole night off with an excuse. "I know we had dinner plans, but can we just start with a drink? We've got an emergency at work this week and my boss is supposed to leave me a voicemail." Then, a few minutes into your date, you pull out your cell phone and you're home free.
Another way to do this is to arrange it with a friend ahead of time. We all know how this is done: we've seen in a hundred times in romantic comedies with Kate Hudson or Jennifer Aniston (or both). You give them a time to call with an emergency. If you're having a terrible time (and, boy, are you!), you can use it as an out.
If you didn't think to set things up ahead of time, you can still make an excuse. This is a chance to put your acting skills to work. Look a little uncomfortable, make your excuses, and run to the bathroom. When you get back, tell them that the oysters have made you feel seasick and you've got to rush home to a toilet. Then, plop down in your pyjamas with a good movie, and avoid your date's calls for a few days.
Play it Straight
While the above two methods are very effective, I have to say they're not very nice. Unless you have a really hard time being honest with people and want to avoid hurting your date's feelings, my suggestion is... be straight with them. You don't have to be Mother Theresa and sit there through a date that is torture for you. Cut the date short. Pay for your food and drink, let them know it's not working, and leave. It is 100% your right to walk out on a date, so do it with without promises or excuses, and without feeling guilty the next day.
And how did I take my own advice on "the World's Worst Date?" with my co-worker? I didn't really. I suffered through most of a long dinner, skipped dessert, and made my excuses ("I have an early start in the morning") as soon as possible. I'm not sure how well that worked, however. After all, he knew my work schedule, didn't he? Oh well.
Katarina_HD
40 / Female
Comments: 30
Posted on September 27, 2008, 8:20 am
Care to share what you mean jmyers139?
