36. In a Factual Way
I went on a date with a coworker of mine. I was incredibly shy, so I was just happy to be going on a date. A lot of coworkers helped me get the nerve to ask her out. She was always really nice to me on the job, so people thought it’d work out.
We ended up at a decent restaurant (was still in high school so I didn’t have the money for anything fancy). She talked about herself for a while. I kinda just listened and asked questions to keep the conversation flowing. It wasn’t completely one-sided though. I’d say a few things, then she’d tell a few stories. She spent a lot of time talking about her church and the things she wanted to do with it. I didn’t realize how much she was into it until I realized most of her stories included mention of her church.
Eventually, I asked how she’d feel if I were an agnostic or an atheist. Looked at me and said that I’d go to h*ll. Not looking at me in a d*mning way; in a factual way. Like “If that is what you are, you will burn” with a smile tagged along with it. I started to argue about how rude that sounded, and she didn’t care. It was a fact. So I got up, told her I’d meet her in h*ll, and then walked out. We drove separately so we didn’t have to sit together through an awkward ride home. She never spoke to me again, then quit a few days later.
I don’t remember her church, but I always see a Billboard off of a highway I drive down often that’s heavily against homosexuality. I always assume she was probably a part of that one. Most of my friends that are religious are actually really great people. Just sucks that there are bad eggs out there.