There’s a knock on the door. A final touch of make up then you slowly open the door to a handsome smile an assurance of a great evening.

The beginning of a date is always so beautiful. Nothing prepares the individuals for what the night might hold contrary to their hopes.

When someone asks you out on a date there is always a chance that the date might not be what you hoped for. The decision to still go is normally a risk taken to give the relationship a chance.

Dates can and do go bad. Many people can recount at least one bad dating experience. While most people are usually on their best behaviour when it comes to dates, some simply aren’t the diamonds they portray themselves to be.

"He couldn’t have enough”

Isabella Wairimu 25, a social worker had been attracted to one of her friends for a very long time and she was really happy when he finally asked her out.

"I was really excited about it and I couldn’t wait to go,” she says. But what started as a beautiful date ended up in disaster. She goes on to say that her charming friend turned out to be a glutton who embarrassed her at a coffee house in town.

"I ordered for a coffee and a small piece of cake, he however wanted to eat almost all snacks on the menu, and then when I couldn’t finish my coffee he offered to drink it too, it was so embarrassing,” she continues to say that Juma, her date attracted too much attention on them. Isabella says that she could hardly look at him after that and she refused to accept anymore dating request.

"He is just too gluttonous for me; I wouldn’t want a boyfriend like that ever,” Isabella concludes.

"She blacked out on me”

Richard Musoni 27, a businessman in Kigali remembers his excitement at the beginning of the evening and his hopes to get to know his date further during their date.

"I met one of our local celebrities via Facebook and I asked her out. The evening was going on fine until she got drunk and blacked out leaving me in a dilemma. I couldn’t take her home neither could I pay for her hotel so I sat there with her until the next day when she sobered up” explains Richard. That was the last he saw of her.

Who’s bill?

Jackie Tumusiime 23, remembers a date disaster she had at campus in Kampala. She recounts how an acquaintance asked her out one Friday evening.

"He took me for  dinner at a Chinese restaurant and I really enjoyed it. When the  receipt  was brought he looked at it and placed half the amount on the table. I looked at him puzzled only to realise he wanted me to pay the rest. Unfortunately I hadn’t carried enough money so we both stood there stranded. I was so embarrassed; I had to go to an ATM to get the balance.”

Jackie says that she did not mind paying the bill but he should have told her earlier to save her the embarrassment.

Three is a crowd!

Eliud Gakuba, an engineer has been dating his girlfriend for two years and says she is really nice and they always have a good time together.

There is one date however that is stuck in Eliud’s mind as one of his worst dates ever. Once when they were out at a club, her ex-boyfriend came and sat at their table.

"We didn’t invite him he just came and sat there and started talking about the time he had dated my girl. He recounted all the dates they had and when I tried to stop him, he got violent. I was really mad and walked out leaving my date behind, it was a terrible,” He resolved the issue with his girlfriend and they have been together ever since.

Wake my date up

Shamil Mutoni, a medical student remembers one of her dates with so much regret. Her classmate asked her out one evening for coffee and because she had been studying so much that week, decided to take the much deserved break.

"We went to a restaurant near campus, and just as I was about to take my first sip of coffee, I looked up only to discover my date was dozing off!  I understand he must have been tired since we were having a busy semester but that is no excuse,” Mutoni explains.

So why risk going for dates? Because we have a glimmer of hope that the next time we agree to go to the movies, have dinner or hit a nightclub with someone, that person will turn out to be ‘the one’. Each bad date is a step towards a better one.

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