After a very dull first date, we went to his house where he pulled out photo albums and started showing me pictures of a camping trip with his ex-girlfriend. Even stranger: I was a total doppelganger for her.
—Elizabeth
Aftermath: I texted to cancel our next date. He called 9 times, leaving 4 sad messages, the last of which was many minutes long, full of tears & whyyyyy, elizabeth whyyy! I played it on speakerphone for my friends.
We were having a great conversation at dinner, full of laughs, and she suddenly changed the subject and shouted in a voice that commanded the whole restaurant’s attention: “I hate politics. My family told me that Obama is going to raise our taxes — and we’re only working-class!” Then she blurted out, “My Dad only makes about $3 million a year, before taxes!”
—Nate
Aftermath: She was spoiled, rude, and uninformed, but more importantly than that, I was a full-time intern on the Obama campaign and a devoted political science major. I never called again.
Went out with a Korean customer, recently in the U.S. He called before the date & kept repeating, “Jennifer. Jennifer. I like you. Do you like me?” I went anyway. Our first stop was Burger King. He sat next to me & kept rubbing my leg and I kept removing his hand. No real conversation. Then to a dive bar where he rubbed my leg & still no conversation. In his car, he kept pawing my chest. I had to apply a joint lock to remove his hand.
—Jennifer
Aftermath: It was over at the BK, but I finished the date. A girlfriend who spent time in Korea later told me that most Korean mens’ only exposure to American women was in the movies, and therefore thought we were all “easy.”
He got mad at me for turning down a job that would have required us to be physically separated. By an ocean. For a year. And we were married.
—Claire
Aftermath: Six months later, I had another overseas opportunity. He said he would take a leave of absence from his job and join me for 3 months. He didn’t. When I came back, I took a permanent leave of absence from him.
His mom tagged along on a date and I put up with it. After a bit, it became a ritual. He would also call his mom on the phone, no matter the time. The last straw was when my grandmother suddenly died. After the burial, he wouldn’t let me drive because I was “too emotionally unstable.” We went home to his house because he wanted to bring his 300-lb mother a sandwich. I had to call my dad to come get me.
—Matty
Aftermath: I dumped him via telephone and let him know what a pathetic momma’s boy he was. I eventually boosted up my self-esteem and moved away.
