Worst Date Ever!
I always preferred sitting across from my dates, easier to talk with them than sitting side-by-side.
“Hi,” I said with a smile, as I looked around for a waiter or waitress, while also putting my handbag on the floor beside my leg.
“Hi,” Marc said, taking another sip of his cocktail. Not smiling at me, more like checking me out all over again.
We had met at a nightclub in New York City where I had gone dancing with girlfriends from work. Marc and I talked the whole night long rather than me dancing like I normally would. My girlfriends had smiled and teased me about his interest in me, that he sat there all night talking with me and only me! Yet never once tried to make any kind of sexual moves on me. I wasn’t sure if this was a good or bad sign… don’t all men only want one thing when they meet a woman at a nightclub? I thought to myself.
So far this date seemed promising … which was a relief from most dates I had gone on where I didn’t know the guy! Before I began working in Manhattan, I had only dated guys from my hometown or high school. Now I was dating a lot of men I met at work or at nightclubs, seeing where it lead me. Whether it would lead to marriage and kids, only God knew.
“You know I liked you from the moment I saw you at that club with your friends,” he began, now smiling at me.
“Same here…” I said, noncommitally. Then I finally looked straight into his eyes, and said, “I hope you know this is just a ‘date’, nothing more?”
“Well…I was hoping maybe it’ll turn into something more,” he frowned.
“First we have to get to know one another, Marc. Because I really do not know much about you in spite of us talking that night.”
“There’s not much to know about me…I’m interested in you, and, yes, I would love to take you to bed…”
“Stop right there…” I began, beginning to get up from my seat and grabbing my handbag.
“Sit down, I was only joking…” he said, laughing.
“I sure hope so! I’m not an easy woman.”
“I knew that, was only kidding. Come, let’s have dinner because I’m starving!” now he was looking around for a waiter or waitress. Still none in sight.
After about 5 minutes, a waiter finally came over. “Hi, and welcome. What can I do for you today?” he asked.
Marc not only didn’t look at me, he ordered for himself first then looked up at the waiter and said, “You can ask her now what she wants to eat.”
What nerve of this guy! I thought. He sure was no gentlemen … ordering for himself only, and not even asking what I’d like but telling the waiter to ask me!
A strange thing began to happen right then and there. Though I had thought he was the most gorgeous guy you could ever meet, he started to look very ‘ugly’ to me now… and I was no longer enjoying his company, as I had at the nightclub, so I told the waiter I wasn’t sure what I wanted, could he come back in a few minutes? When the waiter left, walking toward the kitchen to give the cook Marc’s order, I again looked straight into his eyes and said, “”I think I should go…”
Then started to get up from my chair.
“No! You are not going until we have eaten something, I’m starving and I won’t be taking you home unless you sit and eat with me,” Marc said, demandingly.
Standing up, I grabbed my handbag and said to him, “I would like to go now.”
“Why? We haven’t even eaten yet…”
“Because I don’t think this is going to work. You are a selfish, self-centered man whom I no longer have any interest in.” I told him firmly.
His face began to turn all shades of red, quickly getting up he grabbed my arm to push me back down in the seat. I very gently pulled his arm off of me, and said, “Using force isn’t going to get you the girl, Marc. Please take me home now.”
“No, I will not take you home because I want to eat. Call a taxi yourself, he’ll take you home.”
Not even bothering to say “goodbye” I turned and walked to the front of the restaurant, and asked the owner where I could call a taxi to go home. He pointed to the pay phone they had next to the cash register. Told me there was a number for a taxi right on the phone.
I walked over to it, deposited some coins into the pay phone and called the taxi number they had posted on it. When I was done telling the taxi where to pick me up and where I wanted to go, I hung up, then looked over at Marc; he was sitting there eating his dinner, not even looking my way or caring that I had gotten up!
Wow! What a bummer, I thought to myself, tears beginning to form in my eyes. Here I thought this guy was so ‘promising,’ but he was the ugliest person I had ever met, inside and, now, out. His good looks no longer meant anything because he was so ugly to me…
I waited outside the restaurant for the taxi, was too embarrassed to stay inside any more because I could see the sympathy in the eyes of everyone in that restaurant. Though I wondered why I was so embarrassed, Marc should have been the one embarrassed, not me!
The taxi finally came after what seemed like a million years. I hopped in back of the taxi, the driver said, “Where to again?” I told him my home address and off we went.
After paying the taxi at my destination, walking in my front door that night I felt tremendously relieved that I got out of there when I did. His selfishness and violent grabbing of my arm had scared me. Never in all my years of ‘dating’ had I ever encountered that with other men!
Now I can honestly say that date with Marc was the worst date of my life … a gorgeous guy on the outside was truly ugly inside, what a shame! Though it’s a good thing that did happen to me, otherwise I would never have gone on to meet and marry my husband 9 years ago… my hubby is truly gorgeous inside and out, and I’m not saying this because I’m still in love with him after nine years, I’m saying this because he’s a kind-hearted, sensitive and compassionate man, and thinks of me first before himself, unlike Marc. Also, all my friends have told me if my husband didn’t have eyes only for me and we weren’t married, they themselves would want to date my hubby! The beautiful thing about my husband is that he himself does not realize how gorgeous he is, inside and out.
Being gorgeous or good looking is so much more than skin-deep… a truer saying has never been said; my worst date was with a guy who was gorgeous on the outside but not in his heart.
by Rosanne Catalano (a.k.a. R.C.Kayla)
