Think Before You Rage

Submitted by Tanya:

Drew picked me up for our date and from the outset was really verbally aggressive and abrasive.  He was obviously upset about something.  I had gotten to know him online (if one can truly know someone online) but he had always seemed personable and friendly.

I asked him if everything was all right.  He snapped, "Everything's fine!  Nothing's wrong!"

I don't like games.  If there's something you're angry about, then either deal with it, skate it off, or talk about it.  Being a fuming mess on a date doesn't help anybody.

Dinner was the most uncomfortable, awkward thing that I can ever remember.  I still get chills thinking about it.  He barely looked at me the whole time, and when he did, it was as if he was really going to tear me limb from limb.  I had to ask him, "Did I do something wrong?  Please just talk to me."

He didn't respond.  After a dinner that seemed to last five hours, I was afraid to ask him to drive me home.  I had friends in that part of town and I told him that I'd probably go to see them.

Then, he said, "Going to mess around with them?"

Wow.  I asked, "What are you talking about?"

He said, "I found your blog.  You wrote about messing around with guys."

I said, "I don't have a blog."  This is the truth.  I don't keep a blog.

"Don't pull that.  I found your blog and you wrote about messing around with guys."

"But I don't have a blog.  Are you even listening?  It must have been another Tanya.  Did you think about that?"

"I'm pretty sure it was yours."

What I wanted to say was, "I'm pretty sure that you're a major idiot.  Never talk to me again," but he seemed a moment away from snapping, so what I really said was, "I don't keep a blog.  You'll probably want to double-check who the writer is.  Maybe we could try this again soon.  Don't worry about it.  Good night."

That night he sent me a long, rambling, interminable e-mail about how he discovered that it was in fact another Tanya's blog, how sorry he was, how he had been burned before by women (who had messed around with guys in the past?), etc.  The guy was a total psycho.