\nWhen I met Jacob on a dating site, I was captivated. He was charming, attentive, and seemed genuinely interested in who I was. Our messages quickly turned into long, late-night conversations, and soon, I found myself thinking he might just be \u201cthe one.\u201d\n
We had spent months getting to know each other over video calls and texts, sharing stories, dreams, and even insecurities.\n
Jacob felt different from other guys I\u2019d dated. He noticed the details, like my handmade Scarlet Witch costume in a profile photo, and he remembered the little things about me. I thought I knew him so well. But as our first date approached, I would discover there was a lot he hadn\u2019t told me.\n
Friday evening, I arrived at Coffee Beanz with butterflies in my stomach, dressed in the perfect outfit my best friend Sarah had helped me pick out. As I stepped inside, the warm aroma of coffee and pastries wrapped around me, and I scanned the tables for Jacob.\n
\n
My excitement quickly faded when I spotted him\u2014sitting with a well-dressed older couple who, I soon learned, were his parents.\n
\u201cLia! Over here!\u201d he called, smiling as if nothing was out of the ordinary. I walked over slowly, processing the scene. This was supposed to be a first date, not a family reunion. As I sat down, Jacob introduced his parents, Linda and Patrick. I forced a polite smile, trying to get a grip on the situation.\n
Linda patted the chair beside her, and as I sat, she reached into her designer bag and pulled out a sheet of paper, which she handed to me with a slight smile. \u201cNow, dear, I just have a few questions to help us get to know you better.\u201d\n
I stared at the paper, my mind reeling. Each question was more invasive than the last:\n
What is your current annual income and five-year career projection? And it continued from there, with questions about childcare, living arrangements, and hosting family holidays. I looked over at Jacob, expecting him to jump in and say this was all a joke. But he simply looked down at his napkin, avoiding my gaze.\n \u201cIs this\u2026for real?\u201d I asked, dumbfounded.\n Linda looked at me with a slight frown, as if I were being difficult. \u201cOf course, dear. We have to make sure our Jacob is in good hands. We\u2019re just doing what\u2019s best for him.\u201d\n I took a deep breath, deciding I needed a moment. \u201cWould you excuse me?\u201d I said, standing up.\n Instead of going to the restroom, I ducked out to a nearby convenience store, grabbing a notebook and pen. Five minutes later, I returned to the table with my own list of questions, determined to flip the script.\n I sat down, and with a calm smile, I slid my paper over to Linda. \u201cBefore I answer your questions, I have a few of my own.\u201d\n Linda\u2019s face showed shock and then irritation as she scanned the page. I had written questions like:\n At what point did you realize your son couldn\u2019t choose his own partner? \u201cAnd treating me like a job applicant isn\u2019t?\u201d I asked, my voice low but firm. \u201cJacob, if you can\u2019t stand up for yourself, that\u2019s one thing. But don\u2019t expect me to sit here and be treated like an acquisition.\u201d\n Jacob finally spoke up, his voice barely above a whisper. \u201cMy parents just want the best for me. They\u2019re just looking out\u2026\u201d\n I shook my head, standing up. \u201cWhat\u2019s best for you is to live your own life, Jacob, not let your parents run it.\u201d\n Linda, red-faced, started gathering her things, instructing Jacob to leave with her. But before they left, I raised my voice slightly. \u201cWaiter!\u201d I called out. \u201cThese people are trying to leave without paying their bill!\u201d\n Linda\u2019s jaw dropped, and the entire restaurant went silent. She pulled out her wallet, her hands trembling, and angrily paid the check.\n As I left the table, I turned to Jacob. \u201cGood luck finding someone who meets your family\u2019s standards. Maybe you should try a job recruitment site instead of a dating app. They\u2019re much better at vetting.\u201d\n I walked out into the cool night air, my phone buzzing with a message from Jacob, saying, \u201cYou didn\u2019t have to be so cruel. My parents were only trying to help.\u201d\n I typed back, \u201cJust looking out for myself. Goodbye, Jacob.\u201d\n Later that night, I called Sarah, filling her in on the disaster. She laughed in disbelief and joked, \u201cI bet Linda has a spreadsheet ranking all of Jacob\u2019s potential wives.\u201d\n We both burst into laughter, and in that moment, all my disappointment melted away. If there was one thing I\u2019d learned, it was that sometimes, dodging a red flag wrapped in a questionnaire is the best thing that could happen.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When I met Jacob on a dating site, I was captivated. He was charming, attentive, and seemed genuinely interested in who I was. Our messages quickly turned into long, late-night conversations, and soon, I found myself thinking he might just be \u201cthe one.\u201d We had spent months getting to know each other over video calls\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":98953,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[657,642],"tags":[818,426],"class_list":{"0":"post-98950","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-love-and-relationships","8":"category-moral-story","9":"tag-moral-touching-stories","10":"tag-love"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/dating-first-date.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98950"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98950\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":98954,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98950\/revisions\/98954"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98953"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nPlease list any medical conditions, including family history of genetic disorders.
\nHow many romantic partners have you had, and why did those relationships end?
\nDo you own or lease your vehicle, and what\u2019s your credit score?
\nAre you willing to sign a prenuptial agreement?\n
\nHow many women have gone through your interrogation process?
\nDo you inspect their teeth, or is that saved for the second date?
\nWhen Jacob moves out of your basement, will you require his future wife to submit weekly progress reports?
\nHave you considered therapy for your control issues?
\nLinda\u2019s face flushed, and she looked to Jacob for support, but he simply sat there, stunned. \u201cThis is outrageous!\u201d she hissed, glancing around the restaurant as people started noticing the tension at our table.\n