Shy waitress was ignored on a blind date, until a single dad walked in and changed everything…
The Disastrous Blind Date at Marino’s
Shy waitress was ignored on a blind date until a single dad walked in and changed everything. Before we continue, please tell us where in the world are you tuning in from. We love seeing how far our stories travel.
Claire Donovan spent 45 minutes standing in front of her bathroom mirror in her tiny Cleveland apartment. It was a Friday night in late September. She was trying to convince herself she could walk into that Italian restaurant and not completely fall apart.
She had already changed her outfit three times because nothing felt right. Her hands were shaking so bad she could barely get her earrings in. Her coworker Jess had set this whole thing up two weeks ago with her boyfriend’s friend, Brad.
Claire had said yes in a moment of weakness after Jess had cornered her during their shift at the diner.
“You’re 29 and you haven’t been on a date in over two years you need to get back out there.”
The problem was Claire had very good reasons for not dating. Mainly, she was so shy around new people she could barely string sentences together. The idea of sitting across from a stranger making small talk made her want to crawl under her bed.
She had almost canceled three separate times that week. She had the text typed out and ready to send, saying she was sick or had a family emergency. She wanted literally anything that would get her out of this.
But Jess was so excited about it. She kept telling her Brad was a great guy and they would have so much in common. Claire didn’t want to disappoint the one person at work who actually made an effort to include her.
So here she was at 7:25, wearing the blue dress Jess had approved via text. She was trying to remember how to breathe like a normal person. She gave herself one more pep talk in the mirror.
“You can do this it’s just dinner 2 hours maximum you’ve survived worse.”
She drove to Marino’s Italian Kitchen with her stomach in knots. She had to sit in her car for five full minutes doing breathing exercises before she could make herself walk through the front door.
The hostess greeted her with a bright smile that made Claire feel even more awkward. She could barely get out the words.
“I’m meeting someone reservation under Brad.”
Brad was already sitting at the table when the hostess led her over. Claire’s first thought was that he looked exactly like his picture, which was good. Her second thought was that he was scrolling through his phone and didn’t even look up.
She stood there for a solid three seconds before he noticed her.
“Oh hey you must be Claire.”
He said this without actually standing up or putting his phone down. Claire felt her face get hot the way it always did when she was uncomfortable.
“yeah hi nice to meet you.”
She managed to get that out while sliding into her chair. Brad gave her a quick once-over.
“You look different than your picture.”
Which wasn’t exactly the opening line she had been hoping for. Claire tried to laugh it off.
“oh I don’t really like having my picture taken so Jess sent you an old one I think.”
Brad just nodded and went back to his phone. They hadn’t even been sitting together for two minutes, and she already wanted to disappear. The waitress came over and took their drink orders.
Claire asked for water because her throat was so dry she could barely swallow. She tried to start a conversation by asking Brad what he did for work because that seemed like a safe topic.
“i’m in sales medical equipment it’s pretty boring.”
He said this without looking up from whatever he was typing. Claire waited for him to ask her anything about herself, but he just kept scrolling. She sat there feeling like an idiot and tried again.
“jess said you and her boyfriend work together.”
“Yeah Kevin’s cool.”
That was apparently the end of that. The waitress came back with their drinks and asked if they were ready to order appetizers. Brad finally put his phone face down on the table.
“Yeah let’s get the calamari I guess.”
He said this without asking Claire if she even liked calamari, which she didn’t. But she wasn’t about to speak up. Twenty minutes into this disaster, Brad had picked his phone back up at least four times.
When Claire tried to ask him about his hobbies, he spoke again.
“You’re quieter than I expected.”
“Jess said You were shy but this is kind of extreme.”
The way he said it made Claire feel about two inches tall. She forced herself to respond.
“Sorry I’m just not great with first dates i get nervous.”
Brad shrugged like that was her problem, not his. The calamari arrived and Brad ate most of it while scrolling through what looked like Instagram. Claire noticed he kept glancing over at their waitress every time she walked by.
When the woman came to check on them, Brad gave her a smile he definitely hadn’t given Claire.
“Everything’s great thanks gorgeous.”
Claire wanted to sink through the floor. She was trying to figure out how to politely end this and just go home when Brad’s phone actually rang. He answered it right there at the table without excusing himself.
“hey man what’s up yeah I’m just finishing up this thing i’ll meet you at Murphy’s in like 20 minutes save me a seat.”
Claire’s stomach dropped because the way he said “this thing” made it very clear he was talking about their date. When he hung up, he looked at Claire with zero remorse.
“So look I’m going to be honest with you this isn’t really working for me you’re kind of boring and I’ve got plans with some buddies so I’m going to head out.”
Claire felt like she’d been slapped. She couldn’t even form words; she just sat there staring at him. He stood up and threw two twenties on the table like that somehow made it okay.
“that should cover my half have a good night.”
Brad said this and walked out of the restaurant without looking back. Claire sat there frozen in her chair. Every single person within earshot had definitely witnessed what just happened.
