01/22/2025
MY COLLEAGUE CAME TO MY DATE WITH HER 3 KIDS IN TOW & RUINED IT โ WHEN I CONFRONTED HER, SHE BOLDLY SAID, "YOU SHOULD THANK ME!"
The third date with Susan was supposed to be the charm. I'd met her on Tinder โ charming, witty, gorgeous. After two nice dinners and a park stroll, I thought this was heading somewhere and picked a cozy Italian restaurant.
But, as the waiter placed the breadbasket on our table, the door swung open with a gust of air. There she was โ Linda, my colleague, with her three kids in tow, ages 2, 8, and 12.
"Hi, sweetheart," Linda said, sliding beside me. Her toddler clung to her hip while the older two squeezed onto Susan's side of the table as if it were theirs.
"Linda, what are you doing here?" I stammered.
"Oh, don't be silly," she said, placing a hand on mine. "You promised to watch the kids tonight, and here you are having dinner with her?" She gestured at Susan, who looked ready to explode.
"Excuse me?" Susan hissed.
"WE'RE A FAMILY," Linda said, motioning to her kids, now happily picking at our breadsticks. "YOU CAN'T JUST ABANDON US LIKE THIS. THEY WERE SO EXCITED TO SEE YOU TONIGHT!"
"Linda, what the hell are you doing?" I whispered, my face burning.
Susan had enough. She grabbed her purse. "You two clearly have... unfinished business," she snapped, storming out.
I turned to Linda, voice shaking. "YOU JUST RUINED MY DATE!"
She didn't flinch, leaning back as her toddler munched a breadstick. "YOU SHOULD THANK ME."
"Thank you? For what?"โฌ๏ธ