There is always risk when going out on a date. One of the more common fears is that your date will walk in the door, take one look at you in real life, freak out and bail.
So, what is the rule of thumb when your date is late? 15 minutes seems reasonable, maybe too reasonable. In this day and age, it’s stupid to be late and not let your date know it. 5 minutes means stuck in traffic. 10 minutes means I’m always running late and don’t care. 15 minutes means you’ve been stood up.
One time I actually saw a guy bail on a date right in the middle of it. Talk about brutal. Now, maybe the woman was super annoying or was talking about disturbing things like cat funerals or shooting monkeys out of trees, so he feared for his life and “went to the restroom” never to return.
It was one of those moments when I just happened to look in their direction at the right time and noticed the guy leave. For some reason, it stuck in my awareness and I watched the guy leave the restaurant and walk down the street. Now, this happened in San Francisco. Maybe the guy needed to move the car or forgot something in it, but after 5 or 10 minutes, he didn’t come back. The woman alone at the table seemed to be handling it well because to this day, I’m still not entirely sure she was ditched mid-date. My gut says she was because the energy in the air felt like it, but who knows.
Personally, unless I truly feared for my safety, I would not bail on a date right in the middle of it. It’s just rude. I have been on a few dates that I couldn’t wait to end, but I endured to be polite.
If that was the case … How cowardly. That is someone deserving of a very bad experience in return.
It was nice meeting you and chatting on Saturday! Looking forward to more of your stories. 🙂