Say Cheese
“After exchanging a few messages and phone calls, I met up with Carlos after work for a drink. We ended up joking and laughing all night. I let him know I had an early photoshoot in the morning, so we made plans for the following week. He leaned in for a kiss, but I’m not a ‘first date kiss’ kinda gal. The next morning, the photographer was late in arriving so I made small talk with his wife and played with his baby. And then…he walked in…Carlos — the same guy I had just been on a date with the previous night was also the photographer and married with children. It still grosses me out to think about it.”
— Picture Imperfect
Step Surprise
“Over the span of a month, we exchanged messages, phone calls and plenty of Facetime. He finally invited me to dinner. On a previous occasion, he had canceled a dinner date claiming he wasn’t feeling well…but I figured it was just nerves. We set the date for 8 p.m., but I’m an early bird, so I arrived at 7:30. And then, from the corner of my eye I saw him, sort of wobbling to the hostess counter, dragging one leg along. I scanned him up and down and noticed his disability. He had a clubfoot with an oversized shoe. It wasn’t about the disability as much as it was about him not being forthcoming with me.”
— Best Foot Forward
Face Plant
“She was as sexy as the ‘all outdoors’ — that’s a southern term. A teacher, a Hispanic girl, funny and playful, I invited her to dinner and we got better acquainted. I did notice she appeared far more hyperactive in person than she ever came off on the phone. I just thought she was probably nervous. I know I was. She excused herself and went to the bathroom…when she returned she cozied up next to me and leaned in for a big wet kiss. About a minute into the kiss, I felt it. My gums and lips went numb. I had, without my consent, been drugged with cocaine from her lips. My face still hurts thinking about it.” — Numb Me Not
Big Secret
“When I met up with my Tinder crush one night, halfway through the date she revealed she was transgender. She never mentioned this on her profile or in our interactions before the date. Call me old-fashioned, but that’s one piece of information I think is very important to disclose before a first date. I felt ambushed on the spot…not cool. I’m liberal in my thinking but someone else might’ve reacted differently. She was a 10 on a 10 scale, and a really great person. Of course I was curious after she broke the news, so we had a long convo about it — but I made it clear there would be no after-party.”
— Looking For Transparency
