Submitted by Jackie:
Dan was unlike any guy I've ever dated before. Most guys I've met from online sites came across as nervous or "putting up a front." From the get-go, Dan was a shoot-from-the-hip, tell-it-like-it-is with no apologies kind of guy, and I liked it.
Our first date was at a bar & grill. He asked me, "Are your online dates anything to write home about?"
I said, "Not really. Everyone's way too uptight."
"Fuck 'em," he replied.
Crude but right to the point. It was refreshing.
I asked him, "You're into welding, right?"
"Hell yes. I weld everything."
"What's your favorite thing to weld?"
"Everything."
Prior to this, he had linked me to his online sculpture portfolio. Some of his projects were over twenty feet tall and had to be taken apart to be moved from place to place. I was impressed. How unusual!
He invited me to his local studio after dinner, and I accepted the invite. We arrived inside a large workspace that looked like a tornado had slashed through a scrapyard.
The date went downhill from here in a hurry, though. He opened up some crates and looked inside.
"What the fuck are these?" he asked, then repeated the question.
I asked him what was wrong. He didn't answer but picked up a phone, dialed a number, waited a bit, and shouted, "What the fuck did you send me, Hal? I asked for kegs! These are like mini kegs or something. I wanted actual size kegs! What the fuck did you send me? Call me back now."
He hung up. His language wasn't anything unusual. It was his tone that changed, and it was nasty. He dialed what I figured out was the same number again, and again, he left a similar message on poor Hal's machine. Then again. And again.
Dan looked up a me and said, "Sorry. This might take a while. Maxing out his voicemail is the only way he'll get back to me. Might be an hour of this. Look around if you want to."
Was I expecting him to be compassionate? Maybe, and my expectations of him were probably too high. Still, I hope that he got the kegs he wanted. He didn't end up getting me.
Maybe in some people's minds, cussing a lot and talking without a filter, blurting the first stupid thing that pops into your head, equals being refreshingly honest and straightforward.
ReplyDeleteI bet she's just a Daddy's Girl who decided to start slummin' it with "artists" to piss off her father. She just hasn't quite gotten used to the lifestyle yet.
ReplyDeleteHe's not an artist, he's a welder. Not a welding-artist. It's a blue collar trade. Ugh! I remember going to my cousin's college graduation party and people were asking me if I welded sculptures. I think they were trying to be nice and have a sophisticated conversation around welding. I would say, "No, I weld plate and pipe because I never went to college. People do it as a hobby?! Why?!"
DeleteSo he found the solution to a miscommunication to be maxing out someone's voicemail with angry messages -- sounds like a psycho. Kudos for seeing the flags and running. Imagine what he'd do to her if they had a similar, dating-related, miscommunication?
ReplyDeleteI also don't get the whole cursing/tactlessness/bluntness equated to "refreshingly honest." 9 out of 10 times it's a fancy way to say asshole.
@12:01 and @1:43 are quite correct. Honest and straightforward isn't the same thing as being a jerk, but it's a nice justification for jerks to use.
ReplyDeleteBut you guys, welders are hot! Like flaming white acetylene hot. Good job on not getting burned ;)
ReplyDeletesounds like he was working with a deadline, people with initiative are often passionate about their work. you should stick to store clerks or corporate drones if you can't stand the pressure.
ReplyDelete