This article was written by Fanpop guest contributor Trina G.
Dating isn’t always as easy as it sounds. Just when you’ve gotten all excited about getting the chance to have dinner with the guy you’ve had a crush on for months, Murphy’s Law kicks in and everything goes wrong.
Are you cursed? Are you doomed to be single forever? Absolutely not! It’s just life. Just in case things do go downhill, however, here are 5 things that can potentially go wrong on your first date, and what you can do to fix them.
1. You Have a Cold
There’s nothing more frustrating than planning a dinner date with a great guy and then catching a cold. Nobody wants to be sniffling and snorting during a romantic meal, and you certainly don’t want to smell like cough drops while wads of tissue roll out of your purse.
Here’s what you do. The night before (or that morning, if you woke up to this dreaded disaster), rub some menthol ointment on your chest and your upper lip to open your sinuses. Now, put petroleum jelly on your lips and all around your nose to avoid any chapping from the endless tissues. About an hour before your date, hop in the shower and clean it all off, take some non-drowsy cold and sinus medicine, and make sure to chew some mint gum before your date to freshen your breath.
Kindly explain you woke up with a cold, but you didn’t want to miss dinner. As long as you show that you put in the effort, he won’t mind the sneezing or scratchy voice.
2. You Spill Something on Your Date
Of course, Murphy’s Law states that whatever can go wrong…will. There’s an unknown clause about it going wrong on a first date. It’s best not to spill something on the guy you’re with, but since we tend to get nervous on dates, it can still happen.
If you’re naturally clumsy, order water and save yourself and your date the trouble of cleaning some stains. If you’re normally accident free, and you still have a spill (it happens to the best of us), apologize, ask the waitress for a wet rag, hang your head in shame and wait for his reaction. In truth, if he’s a good guy, he’ll know it was an accident and he’ll shrug it off (maybe he’ll ask if you mind if he goes home to change). If he throws a hissy fit and gets all torn up about it, then he’s probably not a nice guy anyway and you just saved yourself some heartache later.
3. There’s an Emergency
So you’re on your date and suddenly your cell phone rings. You look down (slightly embarrassed you forgot to turn it off) and see it’s your sister (the one who never calls you unless there’s a problem). You politely say you have to take the call. Your date hears: “What?! Grandma’s in the hospital? Oh no, I’ll be right there!”
It’s just like a scene from a movie, the one where the heroine has a fake phone call to get out of a bad date. Your guy suddenly starts thinking he’s the bad date.
Instead of rushing out with promises to call him later, ask him if he wouldn’t mind driving you to the hospital, you’re grandma is sick and you’re feeling too scared to drive.
First, if you ask him to go with you he knows that you’re not faking an ill relative to get out of the date, and second, he gets to be the hero who helped you tonight. It’s a win-win. Unless he says no he won’t drive you, in which case dump the loser he’s no good.
4. He Forgot His Wallet
Believe it or not, this happens. Guys get nervous, too. You can usually tell when he’s genuine about forgetting his wallet because he looks very embarrassed and he’s probably blushing, and frantically checking his pants and coat.
Go easy on him. Laugh it off, throw him a wink, and pleasantly say “I’ve got this one, how about you get the next one?” that way his manhood remains intact and you’re guaranteed a second date.
5. He Doesn’t Show
What’s the worst thing that can happen on a first date? He doesn’t show!
If you’ve never had this happen, then you don’t know the humiliation involved with it. If this is your first time being stood up, take a deep breath it will be okay. Instead of ruining your night and running home crying and miserable, stay there, treat yourself to a nice dinner and a lovely dessert, then walk out with your head held high. Unless this guy had a valid reason for standing you up (and hanging out with the guys is not a valid reason), find someone else to have an awesome first date with.
First dates can go wrong, but the lesson here is this: Even if your first date has some disasters, there’s always a way to make it okay.
Dating isn’t always as easy as it sounds. Just when you’ve gotten all excited about getting the chance to have dinner with the guy you’ve had a crush on for months, Murphy’s Law kicks in and everything goes wrong.
Are you cursed? Are you doomed to be single forever? Absolutely not! It’s just life. Just in case things do go downhill, however, here are 5 things that can potentially go wrong on your first date, and what you can do to fix them.
1. You Have a Cold
There’s nothing more frustrating than planning a dinner date with a great guy and then catching a cold. Nobody wants to be sniffling and snorting during a romantic meal, and you certainly don’t want to smell like cough drops while wads of tissue roll out of your purse.
Here’s what you do. The night before (or that morning, if you woke up to this dreaded disaster), rub some menthol ointment on your chest and your upper lip to open your sinuses. Now, put petroleum jelly on your lips and all around your nose to avoid any chapping from the endless tissues. About an hour before your date, hop in the shower and clean it all off, take some non-drowsy cold and sinus medicine, and make sure to chew some mint gum before your date to freshen your breath.
Kindly explain you woke up with a cold, but you didn’t want to miss dinner. As long as you show that you put in the effort, he won’t mind the sneezing or scratchy voice.
2. You Spill Something on Your Date
Of course, Murphy’s Law states that whatever can go wrong…will. There’s an unknown clause about it going wrong on a first date. It’s best not to spill something on the guy you’re with, but since we tend to get nervous on dates, it can still happen.
If you’re naturally clumsy, order water and save yourself and your date the trouble of cleaning some stains. If you’re normally accident free, and you still have a spill (it happens to the best of us), apologize, ask the waitress for a wet rag, hang your head in shame and wait for his reaction. In truth, if he’s a good guy, he’ll know it was an accident and he’ll shrug it off (maybe he’ll ask if you mind if he goes home to change). If he throws a hissy fit and gets all torn up about it, then he’s probably not a nice guy anyway and you just saved yourself some heartache later.
3. There’s an Emergency
So you’re on your date and suddenly your cell phone rings. You look down (slightly embarrassed you forgot to turn it off) and see it’s your sister (the one who never calls you unless there’s a problem). You politely say you have to take the call. Your date hears: “What?! Grandma’s in the hospital? Oh no, I’ll be right there!”
It’s just like a scene from a movie, the one where the heroine has a fake phone call to get out of a bad date. Your guy suddenly starts thinking he’s the bad date.
Instead of rushing out with promises to call him later, ask him if he wouldn’t mind driving you to the hospital, you’re grandma is sick and you’re feeling too scared to drive.
First, if you ask him to go with you he knows that you’re not faking an ill relative to get out of the date, and second, he gets to be the hero who helped you tonight. It’s a win-win. Unless he says no he won’t drive you, in which case dump the loser he’s no good.
4. He Forgot His Wallet
Believe it or not, this happens. Guys get nervous, too. You can usually tell when he’s genuine about forgetting his wallet because he looks very embarrassed and he’s probably blushing, and frantically checking his pants and coat.
Go easy on him. Laugh it off, throw him a wink, and pleasantly say “I’ve got this one, how about you get the next one?” that way his manhood remains intact and you’re guaranteed a second date.
5. He Doesn’t Show
What’s the worst thing that can happen on a first date? He doesn’t show!
If you’ve never had this happen, then you don’t know the humiliation involved with it. If this is your first time being stood up, take a deep breath it will be okay. Instead of ruining your night and running home crying and miserable, stay there, treat yourself to a nice dinner and a lovely dessert, then walk out with your head held high. Unless this guy had a valid reason for standing you up (and hanging out with the guys is not a valid reason), find someone else to have an awesome first date with.
First dates can go wrong, but the lesson here is this: Even if your first date has some disasters, there’s always a way to make it okay.
If all goes well, you might end up like this...
