Sometimes the customer is wrong for unrelated reasons.
Due to the well of my friendsโ โdef not an axe murdererโ date recommendations drying up, I have turned to that most sacred of modern relationship institutions: online dating. As a very busy person trying to get it in with other very busy people, I prize honestly and directness above all else when it comes to profile creation. I include full body shots in my photos, try to minimize the use of MySpace angles in selfies, and write at the very top of the summary/caption/profile that I am fat. Not โcurvy,โ not โthick,โ not โlots to loveโโIโm f*cking fat. Iโm not ashamed of it, but I also known that weight is a dealbreaker for lots of people. I donโt want to waste anyoneโs time.
About a year ago I met โEvanโ via Tinder. We exchanged friendly messages for a few hours one night and agreed to meet up for drinks the following evening. I waited for a full hour past the designated time, and just as I was getting up to leave, the texts started rolling in.
โI can see you sweating from here.โ โHow long does it take you to roll out of bed every morning?โ โIs there an earthquake or are you just getting up for more pretzels?โ
Really idiotic, juvenile shit. Four separate numbers, commenting on things like my clothes, which clued me in that the senders were nearby. This went on for 15 minutes before I finally saw Evan, trying to hide in at a corner table and giggling with a group of buddies. I made eye contact, saw that he saw me, and then walked out. The texts kept up until I blocked the numbers a few hours later.
I ran into Evan about 3 weeks later. We got on the same elevator, and he tried really hard at being super interested in the emergency phone instructions. I just confronted him, and he admitted it was just some โgameโ that him and his friends play. He knew I was fat before agreeing to meet up; they all did, because thatโs what they do. Match up with fat women, then either ghost them or โtrollโ them at the meet-up. It was also kinda obvious heโd never seen any consequences from this bullshit, as he was sweating pretty hard and looked more humiliated than I felt. I just said whatever and walked out, expecting to never see him again.
About a month ago, some local foodie wrote a great review of the restaurant I own, and weโve been slammed ever since. In the past, I stayed mostly in the kitchen, but Iโve been doing more and more front-of-house stuff lately, and Valentineโs Day I was working a bit of a split between the two.
I saw Evan just as he was pushing in his dateโs chair. My name isnโt on the restaurant, and he didnโt see me. I checked the section up at the hostess stand and saw that one of my favorite old-timers, Nan, was going to be his waitress. I went to the bar till, took out $400, put it in her hands, and said, โThis is going to be your only table for the rest of the night. You are going to make this the worst date he has ever been on.โ
She spilled every single thing she brought out to the table, all over him. I was waiting for him to blow up on Nan, but he bottled it up, obviously trying to make a good impression on his date. She seemed like a perfectly lovely lady; I told Nan to make sure everything was good for her and terrible for Evan.
She poured ice water on his d*ck. She smacked the back of his head with the edge of a tray. Spilled soup on his shirt. Dropped every fork he asked for. I personally oversalted his food, used the shit liquor for his drinks, used flour instead of sugar on his dessert. To be honest, I donโt know why he didnโt just walk out. He must have really wanted to f*ck this woman.
Finally, he cracked. Demanded Nan find the manager and bring her out. I was only too happy to emerge from the kitchen with my chefโs coat and say what, Iโm not ashamed to admit, Iโd been planning out all night.
โI would have said hi earlier, but I didnโt want the earthquake to disturb your dinner.โ
I will savor the look on Evanโs face for the rest of my life.
He was a little too flummoxed to explain, so I pulled a chair up to the table and introduced myself to his date, Amanda. Told her how I met Evan. Showed her some fun old messages. Then I told gave her a voucher for a free meal on her next visit and told Evan to get the f*ck out and never come back.
He deleted his Tinder profile.
