A woman went on a first date with a man, only to "almost get killed," after a hectic night that lasted until 8 a.m. In a video with over 85,000 views, Madeleine Boykin (@madeleineboykin) described a chance encounter and first date with a Texas man that she chatted with on Snapchat. It led to her driving home in the middle of the night despite having a hotel room.
The New Orleans first date quickly turned into a nightmare for Boykin, who lives about an hour and 40 minutes outside the Louisiana capital. She had been chatting with the man, who was temporarily working in the city. The pair agreed to meet on a Sunday, thinking it would be a calmer, more "rated G" day in the bustling town.
Impatience ended up getting the better of her. She decided to drive down on a Saturday night instead, despite feeling that a Sunday would be a bit calmer. The man, whose job required long stretches of work with only occasional days off, wanted to spend the evening with friends, inviting her along for the ride. Boykin felt more comfortable meeting him in a group setting, making the situation feel safer.
When she arrived, the man offered to pay for her parking -- a good sign to her. They first met in the parking lot, FaceTiming as he located her car while a festival blared in the area. After paying for her spot, they headed to Coyote Ugly, where they spent a couple of hours drinking and chatting. Boykin noted that her date, a "good old Texas man," made the interaction feel natural and comfortable.
The night continued with bar hopping. A bartender friend in the group recommended a spot with a "mechanical chicken," which Boykin took the opportunity to ride. They stayed at that bar until it shut down, continuing the relatively good experience. She had booked a hotel room in the city to stay out longer, and for much of the night, everything felt relatively relaxed.
Things took a turn around 4 a.m., at a completely different club. Her date began nodding off. When Boykin tried to wake him, he swatted her hand and eventually pushed her away aggressively. Concerned for her safety, she decided to leave and walk home. He let her walk off in the middle of the night on her own.
Boykin faced another challenge: her car was still parked a few bars away, and she had to head back by herself. She called friends for help, but it wasn't until her friend Emma answered that she had confirmation she would make it to her car safely. Emma stayed on the phone with her for the 20-minute walk back at 4 a.m.
When she reached her car, she discovered it had been booted. She called the boot company to have it removed and contacted her date to ask him to pay, but he claimed he had "gotten jumped," a story she didn't believe.
The "NOLA" boot is a common occurrence based on the commenter's replies. "Had the NOLA boot on my truck after a long night on Bourbon. The person that pays to park gets alerts on their phone when it's about to time out & add payment... Glad you're safe!" one commenter wrote.
She took a quick nap in her car before her date finally arrived. That's when she realized his story was true; he had actually gotten jumped while bar-hopping. Covered in blood, he showed up as the boot company arrived.
The booter and her date ended up bickering in the parking lot over whether they had paid to park. She had the kiosk printout to show the man, while he had his bank statement. After a good amount of back-and-forth, the boot was removed without any payment, leaving an adhesive reminder stuck to her window.
Her date jumped into her car, assuming everything was fine. But Boykin remembered the way he had pushed her earlier in the night. He asked her to stay in the hotel room she'd booked, but she made it clear she'd rather drive home.
She ended up kicking him out of her car and getting away from him, despite driving down the wrong street at first.
The drive back home was long, with an awkward, uncomfortable stall to try and get to a bathroom before finally driving the right direction to get home. She blasted music to stay awake, calling friends to keep her company, and finally made it back around 8 a.m.
To this day, she says the man still reaches out via Facebook messages. She doesn't respond. "I just have no interest in being somebody that would allow that to happen to me," she says. "Allow me to be by myself as a 22-year-old female, fairly skinny, by myself at any hour in New Orleans. Honestly. Y'all stay safe."
The Mary Sue has reached out to Boykin for more information about her night in New Orleans.