A 30 year old woman has shared an unsettling first date experience that began with excitement and ended in tears, prompting thousands of reactions and a stream of empathy on Reddit.
A promising start that quickly shifted
Taking to Reddit, the woman wrote, “So I was in a relationship for 5 years. Ended earlier this year and on Friday I was lonely had no plans on Halloween and decided to download hinge (first time user) Was shocked I got 100 plus likes the first day and got overwhelmed. I also was shocked a few men already asked me out within two days.”
She explained how one man, who lived in her town and seemed genuine, asked her out after what she described as a good text exchange. Wanting to practise getting back into the dating world, she accepted. “Honestly I wouldn’t usually say yes so quick but I want to get out there and practice so I had low expectations for the date,” she added.
Although she insisted on driving herself, the man repeatedly pushed to pick her up, telling her he was “a true gentleman”. She called this the first red flag.
From polite gestures to uneasy signs
The pair met at a restaurant the man had chosen. According to her account, he was friendly and looked like his photos, though a bit theatrical with his behaviour. “He pushed my chair in and was already there and ordered us drinks,” she wrote, explaining that she had not planned to drink but felt compelled because the order had already been placed.
They spent the next hour discussing life, work and their expectations from relationships. He ordered multiple drinks, two appetisers and an entrée, while she only ordered a single main. Despite declining a second drink, she said he insisted and ordered it anyway.
The unsettling turn came when he excused himself. “I get tired when I drink and told him I don’t do more than one. He laughed and said he had to use the bathroom since he drank so much. I had a weird feeling at that moment like ‘oh don’t tell me…’.”
The moment everything unravelled
Minutes passed. The waitress returned to check on her. Embarrassed and emotional, the woman realised she had likely been abandoned. “Not gonna lie the tears started flowing a bit because I was so embarrassed that I likely got left with the bill,” she recounted. Staff intervened with compassion. After showing them his name and photo, the manager agreed to split the bill so she only paid for her own meal.
By the fifteen minute mark, it was clear the man was not returning. “Just want to say that I’m never in my life going on another first date off an app because what was that,” she concluded.
Check out the post here:
Post sparks empathy and anger
The post, titled “I (30f) went on my first date in 6 years and I am never dating again”, has garnered more than 26k upvotes along with a flurry of reactions.
One user commented that such behaviour was “classic cowardice and entitlement”. Another described the incident as “beyond cruel”. A third remarked that the staff “deserved a raise for stepping in”. Someone else wrote that this was “the kind of story that makes people lose faith in dating apps”. Another said it was “heartbreaking to read”, while another observed that the man “planned the whole thing from the start”.
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)
