Story Submitted by Spencer:
In the dead of winter, I met Ruth online. She came across as opinionated and assertive, but she also had a great sense of humor.
A couple of days after a heavy ice storm, I picked her up at her place with the intent to head out to dinner. I opened the passenger-side door for her and she climbed in without a thank you. I closed her door, my foot slipped on some ice, and I whammed down onto my side.
I groaned, and she opened her door right into me. "Oh my God," she began, then started to laugh. "Holy shit," she gasped between giggles, "That was funny!"
I was in a lot of pain and she was just sitting there, laughing at me. I said, "This really hurts."
"I bet it does!" she laughed even harder.
"I'm really in some pain here," I said.
She stopped laughing abruptly and said, "Cut the shit, Hamlet. Bring me to dinner." She slammed my car door closed. I wanted to assume that she was kidding around, so I gave her a full 30 seconds to exhibit some compassion as I remained on the ground.
When she didn't take me up on my implied offer, I roused myself painfully, tore open my car door, and yelled, "Get out!"
She didn't budge. A weak smile formed on her face, and she gave me a small laugh. I hit the car door, she jumped back, and she knew I meant business. "Get out!" I yelled again.
She jumped out of the car, stepped awkwardly around me, I locked the door, slammed it shut, went around my car, and drove off.
Aside from some large bruises, I turned out fine. Better still, as Ruth would no longer be in my life.
2/24/2011
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Sympathy out of 10 for Spencer = 0
ReplyDeleteSympathy for Ruth = 8
Ruth sounds like a laugh. Spencer like melodramatic, self-interested, Shouty fellow
So you screamed at a woman and hit a car door, to make sure she knew you "meant business".
ReplyDeleteAren't you the big man.
ANYONE would have laughed their ass off, and she probably thought you were milking it for a gag. she should have gotten a second chance but you couldn't handle being laughed at. your loss, she sounds pretty cool.
ReplyDeletenot asking if the OP was ok and the whole "bring me to dinner" thing was bitchy on ruth's part, i'll admit.
ReplyDeletehowever, if a guy screamed in my face and slammed his fist on the door (which i would perceive as a threat of violence) within the first few minutes of meeting me, i'd be scared and want to get the hell out of there.
no sympathy for the OP because he over reacted. slight sympathy for ruth because i've had a guy act like that around me, and it's pretty frightening.
"Help, I've fallen and I can't get up!"
ReplyDeleteYou should stop being such a cry baby and get LIFE ALERT!
A person is in physical pain and another person laughs at them? Monstrous. Spencer's reprisal was harsh, but good on him for recognizing a lack of compassion early on.
ReplyDelete^Agree. And the "Bring me to dinner, Hamlet" command was just rude. There seem to be an awful lot of women who think their date really only exists to be their chauffeur and pay for their dinner. Sure, the door slamming was harsh, but I would have lost my temper too.
ReplyDeleteI'm the most with JMG here. I slipped on some ice and broke my leg early last year, nobody laughed when I fell, and as soon as my fiancé say me go down (she was in the car) she got out to see if I was ok. She didn't sit there and laugh about it.
ReplyDeleteBetween her and her parents (who came over to see what the problem was), they helped me into the car and we drove to the hospital.
5 weeks later, with me still on crutches, and after a 2 week stint in the hospital with life-threatening blood clots resulting form the surgery, we were married.
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Any sane person would have checked to see if he was ok, it doesn't matter if he WAS joking or not, he could have been in serious pain and may have needed help. Yes, he overreacted, but she was a bitch.
I was on the OP's side until he used physical intimidation. Punching a car door to scare somebody? Fuck him.
ReplyDeleteNormally I would agree that punching the door was a bit over the top, but the man was in a lot of pain so cut him some slack.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHe was healthy enough to get up, punch a car door, and drive home...sounds like OP wasn't THAT hurt that he needed to yell at her. Looks like his ego was hurt more than anything.
ReplyDeleteOn top of that, OP was on the ground for longer than he should have, just to see if she would have check on him. Get up you little baby.
1. Mediator! I didn't realize you were off the market! I guess I have to take down my shrine to you. :(
ReplyDelete2. Bitch and drama king. Nuff said.
Sorry Nikki! I swear one of these days I'll have to regale you all with tales of our bad dates.
ReplyDeleteOr at least some of the awful/embarrassing things that we have been subjected too over the course of our relationship.
ReplyDeleteHint: a lot of it is me getting hurt :)
I would just like to point out he said hit, not punch. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and say that he open hand slapped the top of the door for emphasis.
ReplyDeleteShe showed that she was an insensitive bitch, but that's still no reason to lose your temper and yell. You could just as easily ask her to get out of the car the first time. So OP clearly has anger management problems.
My opinion... Ruth is the one who dodged the bullet here.
Jared, it's entirely possible to be a good person without having to be compassionate to random people whom you barely know. Why do you feel that the OP was the kind of person who deserved compassion? Personally he sounds like a melodramatic douchebag to me. If he wants compassion he should either EARN it by being a nice guy, or whine to somebody who cares, like his mommy.
ReplyDeleteBecause someone in pain shouldn't have to earn compassion.
ReplyDelete@Kitabare: Wait, are you seriously saying it matters whether he punched or slapped the door? Either way, doing that sort of shit "for emphasis" tends to carry with it a fairly clear "If you do not comply the next thing I hit will be your face" implication, especially when it's accompanied by yelling.
ReplyDeleteHe could have had a concussion OR WORSE and she couldn't have cared less about his situation.
ReplyDeleteHe wasn't kidding around, he was obviously hurt, and all she did was LAUGH.
Do you know how it feels when a person you hope you can rely on fails to help you out when you need it, or worse, MOCKS you when you're at your LOWEST?
I take back what I said earlier, he didn't overreact. He did the same thing you do when your pet misbehaves, make a loud noise to jar them out of their reverie. He wanted her out of his car NOW, and he never once made any move to threaten her.
Mediator, I'm planning on writing a story about how long-suffering Scientist Boyfriend became my boyfriend and now my fiance. I'm totes the bad date, but more in just a sad, pathetic, awkward, OH MY GOD PLEASE LIKE ME kind of way. Hence why he's "long suffering."
ReplyDeleteMazel Tov on your lovely life with a woman who takes you to the hospital instead of laughs at you!
Arthur: You'll also notice I said that it wasn't the right thing to do and so was only marginally better. Don't tell me you've never open palm smacked the table for emphasis when you were trying to get your point across.
ReplyDeleteYeah hitting the door and screaming, way to prove that Hamlet thing wrong. In no way are you an overactor.
ReplyDeleteI have seen some pretty brutal falls and laughed my ass off at 95% of them. But at the same time I made sure they were okay and took them to emergency when they weren't. Shit, I still laugh at my best friends various injuries from our 20 years of knocking around. Although I have to say, unlike the OP, she can take it. Along with her nickname of "Pusy Butt."
ReplyDeleteI have to agree. I was a little shoked at the banging the door thing until I realised that unfortunately I probably would've done the same :S When you're hurt AND humiliated AND angry? He didn't mean to hurt her, he just wanted to make a loud noise to let he know he meant business. Judging by her 'quirky personality' I think it was the best way to go!
ReplyDelete