How Rude! When a Gentleman is Not So Gentle

No smile and a hat on his head? What on Earth could he be hiding? (Photo Courtesy of Tinder)

By PAYTON VINCELETTE

So much to say, so little time! Let me get right into it.

His name is Junior, but that’s just what he goes by on Tinder, so I guess it’s okay to say his name? Anyway, Junior lives in upstate New York, works for a construction company and is currently taking a break from college.

Our first few conversations were boring. I would find myself struggling to find things to say, questions to ask. But they slowly got better as he began to open up, and I started to like him. He was the perfect balance between being nice, respectful and funny. There were a few times that we were messaging, and I actually laughed out loud, which is rare.  He could tell when I was being sarcastic, which is extremely rare, like when he asked why I wanted to move to New York, and I said because strippers get paid more (I’m not a stripper; I just have a very strange sense of humor).

From the first night we started talking, Junior wanted to meet and, with me being the sneaky columnist that I am, I wanted to meet him, too. It was the day after my date with Cash, and I was not as wary about meeting up in person. The problem was that my cousin was coming to visit that Friday, so he suggested we make it a double date: He would bring his cousin, and I would bring mine.

Now, I know my cousin, and I knew that she would not be happy about meeting up with random guys, so I didn’t tell her and was kind of hoping the element of surprise would work to my favor, and it did. She agreed to help me for the sake of the column if I gave her a shoutout—thanks Brianah!

So that Friday, after three hours of texts saying, “I think I’m going to be late … I don’t think I can come … Where are we meeting? … I’ll be there soon …” Junior finally arrived. Now, I’ve admitted that I am superficial. Junior was very attractive in his Tinder profile picture.  When we met, I realized that his baseball hat was covering a mohawk (with a rat tail), and he had braces.

At this point, I’m thinking, this guy is three hours late plus he is rolling up with a rat tail and braces? Are you serious? I was so annoyed not only that he was late but because I felt like I had been lied to. But honestly, the date went really well. We ate at Limon Jungle, and he paid for all of us, which is always a plus. Junior was just as funny and nice in person as he was in his messages, and I had a good time; my cousin on the other hand … not so much. After a four-hour bus ride, she was really tired and blatantly said, “I want to go home now” as soon as we were done eating, even though his cousin was so nice and really tried to get to know her. Junior didn’t want to end the date so he drove us the four or so blocks back to my dorm, and I actually ended up kissing him and his braces goodnight (turns out I’m not as superficial as I thought).

Later, he texted me goodnight, and I was happy—I kind of liked this guy. I wanted to meet up with him again, because I genuinely enjoyed spending time with him, and so we planned to meet the following Friday.

Now, let me say right off the bat that I had told him that I was busy and we needed to meet up early so that we could actually spend time together. So tell me why Junior was three hours late again and was extremely pissed when I called and told him to just forget it. I had given him my address earlier that day, and he let his GPS take him to the Bronx when I had clearly told him I live in Manhattan. He had dropped me off at my dorm, which is clearly in Manhattan. Why would you let your GPS take you to the Bronx? Our last messages are him calling me a b*tch for not spending time with him after he drove for an hour and telling me to lose his number. So yeah, I definitely won’t be seeing him again.

I was a little sad that a guy I had the potential of truly liking turned out to be so rude. Or was I the rude one? Should I have just met up with him? I did feel bad he had driven all that way but come on, why are you three hours late, and why would you go to the Bronx?

Anyway, I learned my lesson and will not be meeting up with anyone who is more than an hour away. Sorry.