Dating is tough. While the first date may seem great for one person, it could have been the worst one yet for the other. So how do you gently let someone down? According to these 14 women, sometimes it’s so bad you just have to get the hell out. Here are the most savage—and questionable—ways women have bailed on a date
- Sunny, 38, London, UK: “I went to the bathroom and, on the way, I asked the waitress to bring the check. When I went back to the table, I insisted that I pay my half. I said thank you for the lovely time and went on my lovely way never to call him again.”
- Samantha, 22, Dublin, Ireland: “He was at my house texting me. He was there and I was at my girlfriend’s house ignoring him—fully knowing nobody was home to even answer the door if he did go up to it. Also I was texting him like an hour before saying we’re still on, but then plans came up. But instead of cancelling, I just bailed.”
- Ruth, 39, Toronto, Canada: “It was a blind date and the guy seemed really cool; he agreed to meet me at the shops. Well, we drove past him and he looked like a creep so I called him and told him I had family stuff going on so I couldn’t make it! Then he called my mum to tell her I stood him up… Meanwhile, she was in on it the whole time. He was telling her what an awful person I was, and wouldn’t stop texting me. I’m so glad I stood him up in the end!”
- Jenn, 27, Perth, Australia: “The moment we sat down at dinner, this dude asked me if I would pay for dinner because his ‘mother hadn’t put money into his account yet today.’ I told him I had to leave because I forgot I had a prior engagement to get run over by a truck.”
- Kim, 33, Calgary, Canada: “’Sorry I’m having a herpes flare up.’”
- Laura, 25, Edmonton, Canada: “’You’re kind of an asshole, so I’m going to go home now.’”
- Sidney, 29, Sydney, Australia: “He was so drunk at our dinner date that, after barely getting through our appetizer, I got up without saying a word and left.”
- Tori, 25, Paris, France:“I was at dinner with this guy, and the date was going horribly south. I looked over at the bar and saw this cute dude who had been eyeing me. I looked at my date, whispered sorry, then went and sat at the bar, asking the stranger to save me. He grabbed my hand and we left together.”
- Sam, 40, Los Angeles, USA: “He wanted to go on a second date, and I was trying to ghost him but he just kept texting me. Finally, I told him I couldn’t hang out because I was moving to Mars. He literally never texted me again.”
- Kirby, 28, Houston, USA: “’I’m sorry, I can’t hang out ever again. I died last night.’”
- Karen, 33, Amstredam, Netherlands: “The date was bad. I couldn’t take it anymore. I told him I had to run to my car and put more money in the meter, but I never came back.”
- Brynn, 26, Chicago, USA: “He was kind of the worst. I tolerated the first date, but thought I made it clear there wouldn’t be a second one. When he texted me to hang out again, I told him I couldn’t because I was going to jail tomorrow.”
- Kyla, 31, Oslo, Norway: “In the middle of dinner, I told him I had to go home because my husband wouldn’t stop calling me. His mouth dropped. He thought I was single, and I was single, but he also was a total dick.”
- Jennifer, 40, NYC, USA:“I told him I had to go to the bathroom, then grabbed the waitress and asked her to tell my date I got really sick and had to leave. Totally ghosted him.”
