But Zagat's Loved It

Story Sent in by Sandy:

Wendell was an acquaintance I knew through a friend of mine. I had seen him at a few get-togethers, and he seemed nice, but quiet. At a recent party, he and I spoke for over an hour, and I gave him my number.

He called me two months later to invite me to his house to watch a movie. That struck me as more of a third-date sort of activity, and so I suggested that we meet out for dinner.

He said, "I know a great place that makes good homemade dinners."

"That sounds good," I told him, "What's it called?"

"Jacob's," he said, and he gave me a time and address. I hadn't heard of the place, but it sounded good to me.

The evening of the date, I drove to the address he specified. Surprisingly, the address was that of a house on a residential street. I parked and double-checked the address, and I definitely had it right. Perhaps he made a mistake. I called him up.

I said, "I'm at the address you gave me, but it's a house. What's the right address?"

"Come on in," he said, "I see you parked outside."

I replied, "This is your house?"

He said, "Jacob's home cooking! My middle name is Jacob. Come on in. We'll eat and watch a movie."

I said, after some thought, "I thought I said that I preferred to meet out somewhere for dinner."

He replied, "I told you that it would be dinner at Jacob's, and you said that it sounded good. Now you're going back on your word?"

I said, "You tricked me here! Maybe I should just go."

He roared, "Don't you dare!" and the next thing I knew, he burst from the door of his house and ran at my car. I hung up the phone and drove away.

He must have called close to two dozen times. I let it go to voicemail each time, and I deleted each of his messages without listening. It'll be awkward if I see him at another gathering, but I know that I was in the right, and I'm ready for him if he says anything.