My Colleague Came to My Date with Her 3 Kids in Tow & Ruined It – When I Confronted Her, She Boldly Said, ‘You Should Thank Me’

Linda smirked, taking a nonchalant sip from her water as if nothing out of the ordinary had just transpired. “For making you realize the importance of family, of course,” she answered, not a hint of regret in her tone.

I was completely at a loss for words. “What? You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Despite the fact that her toddler was now joyfully throwing bread crumbs across the table, she smiled and raised an eyebrow. “Every time you say that you want to meet someone who is prepared for the future and who understands you, you really mean it. This is your future, so here it is.” She made a gesture toward her three children. It is something you should get used to. There is no way that I will be leaving, and neither will they. You made a commitment to assist them, and they are in need of a reliable male guide. Bringing this to your attention tonight seems like the ideal occasion to do so.

I could feel my blood beginning to boil. There is no way that you just walked into my date with a plan in mind. Your actions have not only ruined everything for me, but you have also taken control of my personal life! My voice was lowered to a low whisper as I leaned in closer to the person, attempting to maintain some level of control over the situation. “That is not how this works, Linda,” she said. You have no right to decide not only who I date but also what I do with my time as well.

Linda’s eyes didn’t waver from mine. “Why are you so upset, Jake? You’ve been saying for months that you’re ‘not sure’ about this whole dating thing. Maybe I’m just giving you a little push in the right direction. This—” She waved her hand at the table, “—this is what you’ve been waiting for, whether you want to admit it or not.”

I wanted to scream. Instead, I stood up abruptly, ready to walk out of the restaurant in embarrassment, but Linda’s voice stopped me.

“Jake,” she called, almost mockingly sweet. “You should thank me, seriously. You were over there, waiting for things to happen to you. Now you see how things really are, don’t you?”

With that, she turned back to her kids as if she had done me the greatest favor, settling into the chaos she’d just created, completely unfazed. I just stood there, staring at the remnants of what should have been a simple, pleasant evening, as I realized I was both angry and incredibly embarrassed.

The only thing I could think to say was, “I’m not thanking you for anything, Linda.”

And with that, I grabbed my coat and walked out, feeling more than just a little bit defeated.