Woman says date made her walk on injured knee. Then he reveals he’s moving to Nebraska. The cherry on top is when he rips a Zyn at dinner
First dates are sometimes unpleasant, and other times so bad you end up telling the story for weeks. One woman says her recent date definitely falls into the second category.
What Went Wrong?
TikToker Therese Hinkley (@tthinkley) shared a storytime about what she believes may have been the worst first date she’s ever been on.
Hinkley explains that the timing alone already made the evening complicated. She had recently undergone knee surgery and was still recovering, something that would soon become an issue.
“I just had knee surgery about three weeks ago,” she tells viewers. “So I’m just starting to get my life back in order.”
The trouble started the moment she arrived at the restaurant her date had suggested. After taking an Uber there, she realized the place wasn’t open at all.
“I get there, and this place is closed,” she says. “Completely closed.”
Just as she was walking out, her date arrived. Since their original plan had fallen through, she suggested they pick another restaurant nearby. One option he found looked appealing, but it required about a 10-minute walk.
Normally, that wouldn’t have been a problem. “I’m not exactly in walking shape right now,” she says.
So she asked if he would accommodate her. “Would you potentially be able to go grab your car and just drop me off there?” she recalls asking.
His answer immediately set the tone for the night. “I already paid for parking,” he replied.
Hinkley says she didn’t push the issue, even though the walk was difficult. “I just hobbled over,” she says.
The Red Flags Started Piling Up
Once they arrived and sat down, the conversation initially seemed to be going well. The man told her he was about to start law school.
“At first I was like, that’s awesome,” she says.
Then he revealed where that law school was located: Nebraska.
“He starts in June,” she explains. “And it’s in Nebraska.”
For Hinkley, the news was surprising. The date had never mentioned that he would be moving across the country in just two months.
“That’s just kind of a big piece of information,” she says.
Still, she tried to keep the conversation going. But the evening took another turn when he pulled out a Zyn nicotine pouch, mentioning he’s trying to stop chewing tobacco.
She commented that at least switching from chewing tobacco might reduce his risk for cancer. That’s when the conversation became oddly argumentative.
“He looks at me and goes, ‘No. There is no association between dip and cancer,’” she says.
Hinkley notes that she’s currently finishing her third year of medical school, making the claim particularly baffling to hear.
“I feel very, very confident in the association between chewing tobacco and cancer,” she tells viewers.
Despite that, she says her date spent several minutes insisting she was wrong.
“He talked at me for like five minutes trying to convince me,” she says.
Eventually, she decided it wasn’t worth continuing the debate.
Then She Learned About the Ex-Girlfriend
The most surprising revelation came when the conversation shifted toward dating history.
Hinkley says his dating profile made it seem like he was seriously looking for a relationship.
“I asked if he had ever been in a long-term relationship,” she explains.
He said yes and briefly described a relationship from college. When she asked whether he had dated anyone since then, his reaction immediately struck her as strange.
“He just starts smiling and not answering,” she says.
After pressing a little further, she finally got the truth.
“When was your last relationship?” she recalls asking.
“Last week,” he responded.
The timeline was even worse than that. The two had matched on a dating app just days after the breakup.
“We matched on Sunday. They broke up on Friday,” she says.
The relationship itself had lasted three years. When she asked the last time he had actually seen his ex-girlfriend, he admitted it had been very recently.
“February,” he told her.
The date took place in early March.
“So she was here for two weeks in February?” Hinkley recalls thinking.
Then came the final piece of information.
“When was the last time you talked to her?” she asked.
“This morning,” he replied.
At that point, Hinkley says she excused herself to the bathroom and immediately texted her best friend about what was happening. She also ordered an Uber.
“My ride’s on the way,” she told him once she returned to the table.
He realized the evening was ending and tried to get her to stay. “I feel like you really don’t like me,” he told her.
Hinkley tried to be polite while explaining her reasoning. Between the fresh breakup, the upcoming move to Nebraska, and everything else she had learned, she didn’t see the point of another date.
“I find it really hard to believe you can sit across the table from me and not compare everything I say to your ex-girlfriend,” she told him.
And the distance issue wasn’t appealing either.
“You’re moving in two months,” she explained.
Ironically, after refusing earlier to grab his car so she wouldn’t have to walk on her injured knee, he suddenly offered to drive her home.
“So you can drive me now? What about your parking?” she recalls thinking.
Later that night, he texted her saying he would love to see her again. Hinkley says she thought about how to respond before sending something unusual.
“I sent him three links to peer-reviewed articles about the association between smokeless tobacco and cancer,” she says.
For now, she says the experience may have convinced her to step away from dating apps for a while.
“I think I’m gonna pause my dating profile,” she tells viewers. “At least for a little bit.”
Commenters React
In the comments section, viewers found the story equal parts painful and funny.
“Sending 3 peer reviewed links is hilarious,” one person wrote.
“Well… he’s not a liar lmfao!” another joked.
Others pointed out the irony of his reasoning for the breakup. “It’s okay because they were distance… as he’s moving to Nebraska,” a third commenter wrote.
Is Chewing Tobacco Linked to Cancer?
Yes. Health experts widely agree that chewing tobacco and other forms of smokeless tobacco are linked to cancer.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smokeless tobacco products contain thousands of chemicals, and at least 30 are known to cause cancer. These chemicals have been linked to cancers of the mouth, throat, and pancreas.
The National Cancer Institute states that “smokeless tobacco causes oral cancer, esophageal cancer, and pancreatic cancer.”
Although smokeless tobacco doesn’t involve inhaling smoke, health experts warn it is not a safer alternative to cigarettes and is still strongly discouraged.
@tthinkley i simply had no choice but to laugh like what ??? #fyp #dating #storytime ♬ original sound – therese, ms3
The Mary Sue has reached out to Hinkley via email for comment.
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