Ever since I was a young girl, I wanted to be wined and dined by a gentleman just like in the movies. You know, when the man dresses in a nice suit, hires a limo, picks the girl, takes her to a nice restaurant and at the end of the night they share a magical kiss. I’ve always wanted that experience. But while most girls outgrew this fantasy, I held on to it. I knew it was almost impossible to meet such a guy in real life but there was always a possibility so I kept my hopes up.
Actually, I didn’t expect the picture-perfect Prince Charming to walk into my life. I just wanted a gentleman – a guy who knew how to treat a lady. But in this day and age, that seemed like a fairytale. Most of my friends who were in relationships complained how their men never take them out on dates and when they do, they always go to a club. That’s not what I wanted. I would rather stay single than be in a relationship with that kind of guy.
After years of searching for the perfect gentleman, I thought I found him. He stood at 6 feet, wore a well-tailored suit, and only drunk an Old Fashioned. I watched him the whole night as he mingled with other attendees at the wedding reception. It was my cousin’s wedding and she had hinted that there was a guy who she thought was perfect for me. She wasn’t wrong. I summed up the courage to finally introduce myself.
“Hi,” I said while he ordered another drink at the bar.
“Hey. You finally came to talk to me.”
“Were you waiting?”
“Yes, I was.”
“Here I am now.”
“Great. I’m Victor by the way.”
“I’m Nancy.”
We became instant friends from that day. I found out that he was not only a gentleman but also we had a lot in common. We went to the same university though he graduated a year before I joined. We bonded over our experiences at the university. He was also an entrepreneur like me.
Meeting him seemed almost too perfect but I was too optimistic to believe anything could go wrong. We stayed in contact for about a week and got to know each other better through the phone. However, Victor didn’t ask me out or even hinted at it. The perfect gentleman wasn’t being too gentleman-y now.
“There’s a great spot at Karen,” I said dropping a hint at him.
“Really? We should check it out.”
“Sure. Just say the day. I’m ready.”
“Well, I’m a bit swamped this week. We can try next week.”
This was the story any time I tried to get him to ask me out on a date. it went on like this for weeks until I decided to invite him over to my place. He had no objections to coming to my place.
Since I didn’t know him that well, I thought I’d cook a simple meal. I prepared coconut rice with chicken curry and a side of steamed vegetables. I set the dinner table, lit some candles, and played music for a romantic ambience. To me, it looked really good and I was confident it would make a good impression on Victor.
He arrived almost on time, looking good as usual. After exchanging pleasantries, I welcomed him in.
“What’s that smell?” he asked sneering his nose.
“Oh, maybe the food. Do you like it?”
“Wow, don’t you have a hood to filter the smell?”
“No, this is an old apartment. Let’s eat.” I said trying to change the subject.
“Okay.”
He followed me to the dining area, looked at the table, and gave me another look.
“Do you like the setup?”
“It’s nice. Where’s the wine?”
“Over there. I thought we would…”
Before I could finish my thought, he was already in my kitchen. He opened my fridge, inspected it then closed the door.
“Nothing much.” He mumbled but I heard him loud and clear.
He then took the wine and wine glasses next to it then came to the table.
“Okay, what’s for dinner?”
At that point, I was getting irritated. He was nothing like the perfect gentleman he had portrayed himself to be. Even though my place wasn’t up to his standard, he didn’t have to point it out in such a rude manner.
“I made coconut rice and chicken curry.”
“Sorry what? Rice? Curry? I thought you were more sophisticated than this, my dear. How can you cook such food?”
I can tolerate someone insulting my place, my décor, hell, even my looks. But I can never stand someone insulting my cooking. The recipe was a family tradition that my mother made for us every Sunday. I learned how to cook from her so if someone insulted my cooking, they indirectly insulted her.
“You know what, if you’re not going to eat then I don’t see why you should stay.”
“Relax, my dear. I’m only joking.”
He ate a huge portion and looked like he enjoyed it. After dinner, he got up with his plate and I thought that he was clearing the table like a gentleman. Sure enough, he placed his plate in the sink but before he returned to the living room, he opened my fridge and remove a slice of cake I had placed in there. He put it on another plate, took a fork then walked to the living room as if he owned the place. This wasn’t how I expected the date to go. Things only got worse. He ate almost everything in my fridge, drank all my wine then left without as much as a goodbye.
I later learned that he had done that to another woman, one of my cousin’s friends, but she never said anything. Just like he did with me, he put up a front of being this perfect gentleman, seduced her then treated her horribly. The two dated for a while before she realized that he was a swindler and a freeloader. He never took her out on a date, never paid for anything but spent most of his time at her place. I was lucky that I cut him off immediately after that horrible date or I would have been in the same shoes as she was.
More stories in The Singlehood Series:
When She Found Out Her Mr. Right Was Bisexual
My Blind Date Got Too Drunk At An Event And Embarrassed Me
The Singlehood Series: How I Got Stuck With The Bill After A Date With A Broke Guy
Single lady In Nairobi: Have You Met The Muthaiga Map Guy?
Her Fling Hid In The Kitchen To Eat Food By Himself While She Was At His House
