You know how when you meet someone and you think he’s pretty close to perfect, and you start to think that he might be “The One” — if single, the person you could actually see yourself with for the next few decades; if “attached”, the person with whom you can finally have that sordid, illicit affair you’ve been craving for oh so many years — and then he either says or does something that immediately dissolves all of those fantasies and you can’t kick his sorry ass off the pedestal fast enough? Or you glance down and see that he’s wearing sneakers with his suit or these with anything, and any attraction you felt for him just moments ago immediately shrivels up and dies?
Those things are what Kelly and I call “deal-breakers”. Of course, there are the common infractions such as horrid shoe selection, lip-smacking while eating, and blowing of the nose at the table, all of which are easily corrected (but still cause me to sneer and think, “Oh why should I even bother? He should know this by now.”) Then, naturally, there are the more serious crimes, such as smoking, using a cell phone at the table, and interrupting me when I speak. And of course, there are the unforgivable and truly heinous, such as a dislike of animals, a tendency toward serial killing, and horseshoe-shaped pinkie rings. But these are just a few.
So tell me: what breaks the deal for you? What sin (sartorial, personal, social, or otherwise) do you find unforgivable? In other words — guys, what makes you go limp immediately; and girls, what makes you pat yourself on the back for not bothering to shave your legs before the date?
(Just a suggestion: The more frivolous, the better.)