Who hasn't been so bored on a date that they shook their watch to make sure it was still running? Or so embarrassed that they prayed they wouldn't run into anyone they knew? Or so offended that they wanted to slap someone? Who hasn't wanted to bail on a date?

These ladies actually did!

GINA: We were out to dinner. He'd been drinking quite a bit when all of a sudden he laid his head on the table in the middle of a bite and a sentence. The waiter noticed his little nap and told me it was OK to leave. I have no idea what happened next. I imagine they must have turned him upside down until his credit card fell out.

ROSE: We met at a posh singles bar. He seemed intelligent enough. He asked me to meet him at the same place the following Friday night after work.

We had a drink, and then he proceeded to walk with me to a place where we could dance. I was in pointy-toed high heels, so I was a little annoyed that El Cheapo wanted to walk.

On the way, he suddenly stopped (a welcome relief from the hard concrete) and said, "I want to tell you a funny pun." When he was through, I said, "In the first place, it wasn't funny. In the second, it wasn't a pun. In the third, you're not supposed to announce a pun before you tell it."

That was when I should have dumped him. But I chose to stick it out, hoping he'd grow some brains during our trek.

The place was in a sleazy hotel. We went to the bar, ordered drinks and danced for 10 minutes. Then he told me that he'd booked a room.

I was flabbergasted. I wasn't sure whether he even understood how he had insulted me, but I had no desire to improve his education, so I left without even saying goodbye and cried on the way to the bus stop.

GRETCHEN: He picked me up for our first date. He was good-looking, well-dressed and intelligent. We went to a nice restaurant and settled into a comfy booth in the bar.

The restaurant and dance floor were in a separate room. I was seated with my back to the dance floor. He was facing me, so he had a good view. He got up — I assumed to go to the men's room — but didn't return for quite a while. I started to wonder whether he was coming back.

I got up and glanced at the dance floor. There he was dancing with another woman! I left. Luckily, there was a cab out front.

JILL: We met at a networking event. As it was breaking up, he invited me to dinner. We went to a very nice restaurant. I ordered, and then he ordered a huge steak, a chateaubriand meant for two, just for himself.

It was at this point I began to suspect that he was drunk. When the dinner was finally over (it's an ordeal to dine with a drunk), we walked out together.

I refused to get into his car, so I hailed a cab. He was so incensed that he followed us, even on the expressway. We didn't lose him for miles.

Have you ever bailed on a date? Send your tale, along with your questions and problems to cheryllavinrapp@gmail.com. And check out my e-books, "Dear Cheryl: Advice from Tales from the Front" and "I'll Call You. Not."