Woman Gets Revenge on Ghoster by Pretending She Doesn't Remember Him

Ashley Hesseltine, co-host of the podcast 'Girls Gotta Eat,' recounted a memorable encounter where she encountered a man who had ghosted her after their first date. A year after the man disappeared, Hesseltine was at a bar with friends when he approached her.

He initiated the conversation, saying, "Hey, remember me? We went on that date." Hesseltine, deciding not to give him the reaction he anticipated, replied, "Oh, I'm sorry, I don't remember it."

According to Hesseltine, the man then began listing details from their date in an attempt to jog her memory. "He starts to spiral and realize he's not memorable because we slept together and he starts saying, 'But remember we did this…'" she recalled. Hesseltine maintained her stance, stating she couldn't place him before turning back to her friends. She reported that he eventually "slumped away," seemingly taken aback by her lack of recognition.

This story has struck a chord with other women who have employed similar tactics when encountering men who have previously ghosted them. One commenter shared a similar experience: "I had a guy ghost me and then text me a few months later to 'apologize' and even though I knew it was him I said, 'I'm sorry, I don't have this number saved. Who is this?' He was not happy."

Another woman noted the power in withholding energy from such encounters. The sentiment suggests a broader frustration among single women regarding the perceived lack of effort in modern dating, both on apps and in the early stages of relationships.

Women have increasingly voiced complaints online about matches who engage in conversation but make little effort to arrange actual dates. Experiences include vague invitations to "hang out," last-minute plans, prolonged messaging that never leads to meeting, or men disappearing entirely when the arrangement of a date requires initiative. Many express a desire for partners who can suggest times and places, follow through on plans, and communicate directly if interest wanes.

Ghosting exacerbates this frustration by removing the basic courtesy of informing someone that the connection is not progressing. However, disappearances are not always permanent, as some individuals resurface weeks or months later with casual messages, often without acknowledging their prior absence.

One respondent to Hesseltine's story recounted a man who vanished for a month before contacting her with an excuse about his phone not working. Her response was simply, "Who is this?" When he inquired if she had gotten a new phone, she did not reply.

Hesseltine did not receive an explanation for why her date had ghosted her in the first place. By the time they met again, she had no interest in seeking one. Instead, the man who had previously caused her to question herself reportedly left their second encounter pondering his own forgotten significance.