It was supposed to be a night to remember — my first date with someone I’d met online, and I was excited. We had been texting for weeks, and the chemistry between us was undeniable. We’d planned to meet at a cozy restaurant in the city, where we could get to know each other better, away from the chaos of our everyday lives. But what I didn’t expect was that my colleague, Lisa, would show up and completely ruin the evening.
The night began like any other date. I arrived early, excited and nervous, hoping everything would go well. My date was charming, and we had good conversation as we waited for our meal. But as the evening progressed, I noticed someone familiar walking into the restaurant — it was Lisa, my colleague from work. I was confused at first, thinking maybe she was just there for a casual dinner. But then I saw her children following her into the restaurant, all three of them, ranging in age from 4 to 10.
Before I could even process the situation, Lisa walked up to our table with her kids in tow, as if it was completely normal. “Hey, sorry to interrupt, but the kids couldn’t stay home tonight,” she said casually, as if it were no big deal. She didn’t even ask if it was okay — she just assumed it would be fine. My date and I exchanged uncomfortable glances as Lisa, with her three kids, sat down at the table, completely disregarding the purpose of the evening.
The kids were loud, restless, and completely distracted from what was supposed to be a quiet dinner. They spilled drinks, argued over the food, and ran around the table. My date tried to be polite, but it was clear they were uncomfortable. I was beyond frustrated and confused — not only was my date ruined, but my personal space had been invaded in the most awkward way.
After what felt like hours, the situation ended, and Lisa and her kids finally left the restaurant. I was fuming. I hadn’t gotten a single moment of quality conversation with my date. I quickly excused myself and followed Lisa outside.
“Lisa, what was that? Why did you bring your kids to my date?” I asked, trying to stay calm. I was seething, but I needed answers.
To my shock, she turned to me with a smile, completely unphased. “You should thank me,” she said nonchalantly. “You needed to see how he handled a real-life situation. What if he couldn’t handle kids? You got a glimpse of his true character, right?”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My frustration turned into disbelief. Lisa had no sense of boundaries, no understanding of personal space, and her rationale didn’t even make sense. How could she think that was a good idea? I tried to explain that it wasn’t her place to intervene in my personal life, but she just shrugged it off, saying she was “helping.”
I walked away feeling exhausted and defeated. The date was a bust, and I felt humiliated in front of both my colleague and my date. I knew I had to talk to her later and make it clear that her actions were unacceptable, but in that moment, I felt angry and helpless.
That night, I reflected on what had happened and realized that Lisa’s behavior wasn’t just a mistake — it was a violation of personal boundaries. I decided that I needed to have a serious conversation with her at work, making it clear that my personal life wasn’t something for her to meddle with. As for my date, I sent a polite message apologizing for the situation, but I knew it would be hard to recover from the disastrous evening.
