It's officially summertime! Swimwear and "clothing left to your imagination" will proudly be worn up and down our lovely New Jersey coastline. This is the time of year where people are out looking for a good time and maybe even a possible summer romance. It's really all about the fun factor. Hey, we're New Jerseyans. We know how to "live it up".
A few weekends ago, as I was enjoying my summer cocktail at a friends bar-ba-que get together she explained to me a dating story that her friend of a friend had experienced. Isn't it always a friend of a friend? Regardless, I was compelled to listen. And excited that this nightmare she was about to tell me was not of my own experiences.
Let's call this friend of a friend Melanie. I am actually not even sure of the name of the person that it happened to but it sounds like a sweet enough name to use for a girl who got romantically shafted. Here is her story.
Melanie was like most girls this day in age. Independent, hard-working and looking for a nice guy that would stand by her side. She did what allot of busy people ( including myself) have done to look for love: go to an online dating source. After being on the site for a few months she found a very handsome guy who seemed too good to be true. According to him, had a very successful business. She perused through his online photographs where one was of him in his living room, another was him leaning next to his car and the last one was of him outside a large brick building, no lettering, where he stated he " worked". They went on a few dates and she was smitten. How could such a well rounded wonderful guy still be out there on the market? She felt so lucky to have come across and snag this hidden treasure. Until things took an odd turn. Every time Melanie would even mention where he lived he would be very brief and then change the subject. This dueled for his job as well. She noticed mentioning both of these topics would make him a little uncomfortable, so he would turn the conversation back to her. After a few more dates and with none of her questions answered, she started to become so agitated she decided to give herself a break from him for a few days by going out with some of her own friends. While out with her posse she received a bit of unwelcoming news about her " successful man". Turns out, one of her guy friends recognized that name from when he was in college while she was telling him her latest dating saga. It was a " buddy of a buddy" at his dorm that his friend still keeps in touch with. One night, when all the guys were going out this guy came out too and shared all of his " dating secrets". Let me establish his dating stats first; he is a waiter at a popular chain restaurant and lives in the basement of his uncle's house, who is a lawyer. His " successful business " was a lie and as for his car that he was posing against in his profile photo was his uncle's luxury vehicle, which he also borrowed for their dates when he picked her up. The kicker of it all? You would have thought the photo of him in his living room was in his uncle's house. Not really. This guy had his friends take photos of him in an Ikea "living room" and would post them as " his place" on the website. Technically, as long as he sat on the ever so popular Swedish furniture company's couch it was his own. But let's keep this real, never have I heard of something so ridiculous ( and funny! ) as this. Who would lie about such a thing ? Apparently this guy.
Now, I have been to Ikea many times and enjoy all the already comfortable furnished living areas. And admit, that if I am there with a friend, I give them a pen from my purse to pretend it's a skinny microphone so they can be Bob Barker in the Price is Right and I could think I am one of the hot girls showing off what you could win at the Showcase Showdown. No joke. I do it.
As for Melanie, she called him up that night when she got home, told him off and never saw him again. I am hoping Melanie could find a little summer fling to rebound from Mr. Ikea.
