Ahoy! Only one of the winners have confirmed the PayPal email and have been paid the prize! Please do check your email, email junk folder or if you don’t find an email from us, send an email to us here: admin AT reallylousydates.com
Well, our judges have deliberated and have given their votes. One of our judges did not manage to submit votes in time, only four of the five judges have locked in their votes. Judges vote for the top 3, “4″ is not a real rank but is added for computational purposes.
Of course, I will not be able to tell you who voted for which, but I will show you the voting pattern:
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Story |
Judge1 |
Judge2 |
Judge3 |
Judge4 |
Admin |
Score |
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2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
7 (1st) |
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3 |
4 |
3 |
4 |
3 |
17 (3rd) |
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1 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
8 (2nd) |
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4 |
3 |
4 |
3 |
4 |
18 |
These garnered votes. The other stories did not garner any votes from the judges, but frankly, they all deserve a round of applause for their candid sharing and interesting stories. We thank everyone for participating and we hope you will find plenty of happy dates after learning from the really lousy dates that have been shared here!
Congratulations to our winners. You will be contact via email to arrange the receiving of your prizes!
Thanks for all the entries. But I wonder why with so many thousands of page views on the stories that no one voted! Just leave a comment as a vote.
The judges will now deliberate and submit their choices. Results will be announced on Valentine’s Day. Still time to vote!
The following submission is completely un-edited. Vote for this story by leaving a comment.
Love, Death & Life
By Mattmak
I think the absolute worst Valentine’s Day I ever had was February 14, 2006. My husband had left me at the beginning of January and we had decided that we would spend time together for Valentine’s Day to see if our problems could be resolved. At that point we had been married 10 years. Before the alarm clock could go off to wake me for work, my daughter, who at that time was 9 years old, woke me screaming. She was in so much pain in the left side of her abdomen. I got up and began dressing and preparing to leave for the emergency room when my phone began ringing and it was my mother informing me that my grandmother had been admitted to the hospital with not much chance of survival. I let her know that I too was leaving for the hospital with my daughter she said she would see me there. My grandmother practically raised me growing up and I lived beside of her for years and still live beside the house that was once hers. After reaching the emergency room they began a series of tests. I called my husband at this point to tell him what was going on and that I felt that he needed to come to the emergency room. We discovered my daughter had kidney stones and that my grandmother had sepsis. We spent 16 hours in the emergency room with our daughter and our time together went right out the door. Fortunately, we have since then reconciled and our daughter has had several attacks of kidney stones. My grandmother passed away on March 6, 2006. For a day that held such promise it ended in absolute disaster and uncertainty. Now it is 2008 and a week away from Valentine’s Day and my husband and I had thought we would do something special this year. However, I am leaving soon to go to the burial of one of my very best friends and our financial situation is rapidly deteriorating. Perhaps one day I will have a nice Valentine’s Day but it has not been in the cards for me recently. This contest would at least supply us a way to go out to eat or catch a movie but if I do not win I know that I have at least tried. Thank you for the opportunity.
The following submission is completely un-edited. Vote for this story by leaving a comment.
QuitSmokingPainlesslyNow
By QuitSmoking
I had written about my little red hair girl in my blog and I didn’t think I would want to touch on that subject again. Still, with Valentine’s Day nearing, my heart aches a little for her. Even until now, I entertained the thought that we probably could lead a happily ever after life had I not stank like a chimney.
I thought everything was going well. That first date was awesome, we were glazing at the faraway stars on the beach, talking about our dreams and aspirations in life. She looked so sweet and so demure in her swaying white dress and I honestly thought she would made a perfectly beautiful bride for me. That was our first date and our last, because the second date did not happen. I had planned our second date to be on Valentine’s Day. Before I bade her good bye outside her house, I asked her to reserve that special day for me. She looked into my eyes and smiled. She looked so sweet that I bent to kiss her and she shrank back, looking quite confused. I thought she was shy and I just smiled. I let her go and that was the last time I ever held her in my arm.
I began to plan for the big day. It must be perfect. She said she like the beach and I booked a small yacht to bring us out to the sea to swim and fish and maybe get on shore on one of those secluded little islands. It will be a wonderful day being with her and nature. I even ordered a big picnic of food and wine from the famous Mother Sandra’s Cafe a few blocks away. Mother S said she would even throw in a box of her specially made truffle chocolates for me. She must have been very amused seeing a big guy going ga-ga over a picnic trip. I even cajoled my dad to lend me his Nikon. And of course, I bought a heart shaped locket with chain for her. I was hoping that she would put my photograph in there in the very, very near future. I made my plans and I went ahead to execute them excitably and I got my dad rolling his eyes and my mum grinning funnily.
I was walking on cloud nine. The night before, I was so excited that I paced up and down in my room wondering what to wear. Can you imagine a big guy wondering what to wear? That was so unmanly but I was that excited. I was musing over a white Nike tee or a blue Addidas when I heard my mum calling me.
“Open up, this just came for you”
I opened my door and my mum waved a letter to me. She was perplexed as it was already past midnight. The envelope was pale green in colour and there was that familiar lily fragrance. My heart skipped a beat. It couldn’t be from my little red hair girl, could it?
Yes, it was her. She wasn’t going to turn up for my date later that day.
I was speechless. I was so stunned that I sat on my chair for close to 3 hours before I dragged myself to bed. I stayed at home the rest of the day chain smoking, one stick after another. I told Dad to bring Mum for the yacht trip and collect the big basket from Mother Sandra’s. The locket I gave to my 16-year old baby sister who was looking forward for her first Valentine’s Day celebration. At least I didn’t waste the presents I bought.
By evening, I was stressed out with just booze and cigarettes. I had never drink so much and smoke so much during my entire college life. It was a sad, sad day for me. Perhaps I should have gone after her but until I gave up something else, I know I have no chance. That letter said it all.
(For those who are intrigued with what my little red hair girl had written, you can go read A Letter to Dear Smoker-Boy.)
The following submission is completely un-edited. Vote for this story by leaving a comment.
ReallyNiceVacations
By RNV
This isn’t really my story but my grandparents’. My grandmother said my grandfather was a jolly good fellow and the only daggers they ever shot at each other was during their honeymoon and Valentine day in 1960.
They were married 48 years ago today. They married and celebrated their honeymoon in tropical Singapore where granddad was a corporal with the British army. Grandma said she was looking forward for a lovely honeymoon but that was not to be so. Granddad was too busy showing her off to his platoon mates, always getting her to meet Joe for lunch, James for a drink in the pub and of course all those barbecue parties at the Stevenson, Jordan and Allanson families. She said her life for the first week was at the military quarter and the only glimpse she saw of Singapore was Tanglin Road.
“That was really pathetic” was her comment.
Finally, she got annoyed and told Granddad that she wanted a quiet Valentine’s Day with just 2 of them and not an entire troop breathing down their neck. My grandma quipped “If Diana said three is a little too crowded, just imagine having one whole platoon watching you everyday.” Naturally, granddad said okay.
My grandmother said she made a simple 4-course dinner, lit the candles and got the flowers all nicely done up on the dining table. She put on her Sunday best and started counting down. Every minute closer to Granddad’s home coming time is nerve wrecking for her. Did she look pretty? Were the steak just nice or too tough? Did granddad likes vanilla ice cream better or strawberry cake? She got even more nervous when the time has came and past. She grew unbearably worried. She wanted to call the wives of other soldiers but was too shy to do so.
Just when she didn’t know to call or not to call, someone knocked on the door. It was one of Granddad’s buddies.
“Hey, Mildred. Jay said he was really, really sorry.”
My poor grandma thought my granddad had walked out of her life, and almost collapsed onto the floor.
“Only when Jacob said your granddad was detained for questioning after fighting with 2 other guys over some silly card games did I start to live again. I was so in love with your granddaddy.”
“Don’t you go spoil your Valentine Day like your granddad did, especially if it’s your first Valentine Day after marriage. I have forgiven him but I never forgot how angry, how lonely and how empty I felt on 14 Feb 1960.”
The following submission is completely un-edited. Vote for this story by leaving a comment.
Broken Home, Broken Lives
By brandy w
my parents had been fighting a lot and it was mainly over my half brother. my dad would beat on him, because he wasn’t his son. on valentines day 1997, i came home from school and my mom was so upset. she told me to go look in her room. my dads dresser was empty and all his things were gone. my dad left my mom and asked for a divorce on valentines day. i was devistated. the worst part later we had found he was cheating on my mom with my uncles ex wife. my mom to this day will not celebrate valentines day.
The following submission is completely un-edited. Vote for this story by leaving a comment.
Sick on V-Day
By Chungyen Chang
http://AnUnsuspectingNotebook
The V-Day my freshman year, everyone at school was so excited. Candy and flowers and little cards everywhere. And one of my friends even wrote me a card, and then another friend gave me some chocolates.
But the first bite I took out of the chocolate, I got sick. I’m allergic to peanuts. I called my mom to pick me up and I spent that day alone, at home.
What’s funny is, I didn’t even care about being sick. I had this crazy notion in my head that maybe today would be the day. That someone would finally spill their guts out on the floor for me, and suddenly I’d have a reason to really love the holiday. There was just that chance. What if?
Sure, they could have saved that spectacular present for the next day, but then the magic would be gone. They might not even do it then. It wouldn’t have been the same.
The following submission is completely un-edited. Vote for this story by leaving a comment.
As if high school without a boyfriend wasn’t bad enough, one year I learned that high school with a boyfriend could be just as tricky. In my sophomore year, I spotted a senior basketball player that caught my eye immediately. He was cute in a sort of dorky kind of way and I thought that he would be the perfect antidote to my recent bad experience with the cool guy wrestler that dumped me for an easy cheerleader. After less than a month, though, I was more than tired with him always being nice. He was always there, he was always happy, and he was always touching me - rubbing my back, holding my hand, putting his hand on my leg … don’t get me wrong - all of this would be nice if it wasn’t so constant. However, the fact that he really was so nice made it very difficult for me to dump him. Enter Valentine’s Day.
I still hadn’t gotten up the courage to dump him, so I had to get him a present. I went the very safe route of a framed picture of me and homemade chocolate chip cookies. He was equally stereotypical, buying me a big heart-shaped box of chocolates and a teddy bear. It so happened that we exchanged gifts just before I left for a bus trip with the band. We had our predictably sappy moment, kissing and hugging and vowing to miss each other for the week or so that I’d be gone, while my mind raced with trying to think of a way to end it. Of course I didn’t - he was so nice! And it was Valentine’s Day! I would never be so callous. Instead, I kissed him goodbye and got on the bus, sitting next to the guy that I really wanted to date - the bad boy.
The following submission is completely un-edited. Vote for this story by leaving a comment.
Left Standing
By Robin C
(Names have been changed to protect the jackasses)
Okay, so two years ago, I was hanging out with some friends when I jokingly remarked “I need a boyfriend.” My friend Mary commented that a friend of her boyfriend’s was looking. So I reluctantly agreed to a blind date with him that Valentine’s day. We met at the local mall–Mary, her boyfriend Jake, and his friend–my date–Mike. As well as several of Mike’s friends, for who knows what reason. Anyway, we went to the arcade and played DDR and various games for a while. I’m in the middle of a round of DDR with Mary. When I get done, I look around. Jake is still there but Mike and all his friends had left. Jake had to admit to us that Mike couldn’t stand me, so he and his friends had bailed. The rest of the day was obviously shot. I was miserable.
