One journalist's disastrous dinner date leaves her questioning everything.
I was left thinking of creative ways to escape (Picture: Louisa Gregson) Sitting down in the very fancy and newly opened restaurant, I was looking forward to a good night. My date, however, was not going to let that happen. Perhaps I should have known, as it wasn’t our first date, and he had already displayed some odd behaviours.
I had tried to turn a blind eye to him wearing a vest on our second date; and, despite only drinking the same amount as me, he had seemed somewhat intoxicated on all our dates, staggering about. Each time, I’d wondered if he may have had a few drinks before meeting me for Dutch courage. But I had soldiered on, hoping things might improve. I mostly enjoyed his company and he was a talented artist, which appealed to my love of creativity. That night, though, I was left thinking of creative ways to escape. My date turned up acting drunk, smelling of alcohol and abruptly told the waiter, ‘We are not paying, we are guests.’ I had been invited to the restaurant to review as a journalist it in return for a complimentary meal. I am a very compassionate woman, but I was cringing (Picture: Louisa Gregson) I wanted to crawl under the table when he asked if we could have two complimentary bottles of wine instead of the one we were offered (which was refused) and then went on to order the most expensive main course on the menu, a steak that cost almost £100 – while I chose a pasta dish at less than £30. I was there for work purposes and felt utterly embarrassed by his freeloading. Inwardly, I was seething at his pure cheek but after a while I mentally talked myself down and tried to relax. He ordered another bottle of wine and offered to pay for it, saying it was the least he could do, which seemed reasonable. After all, I thought it couldn’t get worse. How wrong I was. I am a very compassionate woman, but I was cringing when he started crying at the table. By the time desserts arrived, he had thankfully stopped crying (Picture: Louisa Gregson) A conversation about his cat – taken by his ex-wife following their divorce – prompted tears as I tucked into my reasonably priced pasta and he ate his expensive Wagyu beef. Mortified, I gently explained that people around us would think he was crying because we were having a public blow-out and asked him to pull himself together – but still the tears flowed. As I was there for work I couldn’t leave. I had to finish the meal. But, when we were asked if we could move to the bar area as our table was needed, my date shook the Greek waiter’s hand and told him to ‘Enjoy your time in our country.’ I was left cringing again. I hoped sitting at the bar might be less intense but honestly, I was struggling. I was representing a company and our meal had already been free (Picture: Louisa Gregson) After he went outside to vape, I texted my friends complaining he was an idiot – but there was more to come. With no bill to pay, we were making our way to the exit, only for our waiter to come running after us, shouting: ‘Sir, you haven’t paid for your wine!’. The waiter went off to get the card machine, but in the time it took for him to return my date suggested, to my complete horror, that we just walk away without paying – despite the fact I was representing a company and our meal had already been free. Obviously, I said no. I asked him if he had been drinking before we met and he got defensive and told me he had only had one drink – which I struggled to believe. Comment nowHave you been on bad dates like this? Have your say in the comments belowComment Now When he finally paid and we went outside onto the street I told him in no uncertain terms to do one and walked off to call an Uber without even seeing his response. As I was driven away I could not believe how the night had unfolded. The following day I received a lengthy voicemail from my date. He was apologetic, saying he was going to get professional help to get his drinking under control, and it seemed heartfelt. I sent a pleasant message back, explaining why I had been so annoyed and I wished him all the best – but I knew I couldn’t take it any further. From now on, I will trust my gut more if the vibe seems off and I will certainly be more discerning about who I take on work events in the future
Dating Bad Dates Restaurant Alcohol Awkward Encounters Embarrassment
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