Deal breaker?

Deal Breakers: When Does Mr. Right Become Mr. Not-On-Your-Life?
by Michele Avantario, Maia Dunkel

Is he Mr. Right or Mr. Not-on-Your Life?

For some women, it's a moustache. For others, it's a cheating heart. Whether you're playing the field or are considering a trip down the aisle, you've got to determine whether to stick it out or move on in your pursuit of true love. Find out what your deal breakers are:

• You're on your first date when you notice he's had four glasses of wine before the entrée arrives. Deal breaker?

• You've been dating someone special and upon entering his apartment for the first time you notice a book called The Idiot's Guide to Sex. Deal breaker?

• Your long-term boyfriend proposes and presents you with a stunning ring in a Tiffany's box-and later you find out it's a cubic zirconium. Deal breaker?

• You meet a cute guy at a bar, but the only number he'll give you is his pager. Deal breaker?

• You're looking forward to a romantic Valentine's evening with your new beau. He picks you up at seven, and when you get in the car he says, "So, what's the plan?" Deal breaker?

• You're engaged to a man of another religion and it's never been an issue in your relationship. One evening when you're talking about having children, he tells you he expects the children to be raised in his faith. Deal breaker?

• One night after a few drinks your date lets you know he once had a passionate affair with a married woman. Deal breaker?

"And Your Half Comes To . . ."
The First Date

You agree to pick up your date, since you've got the wheels. You're singing along to your favorite song when he abruptly changes the radio station without asking.
Deal breaker?

On your first date you notice he's had four glasses of wine to your one before the entree even arrives.
Deal breaker?

You're walking to the restaurant with your date. When you arrive, he proceeds to open the door for himself and walk right in front of you.
Deal breaker?

You're anxiously waiting for your blind date to arrive. When you open the door to let him in, you see he's sporting a diamond earring bigger and flashier than you could ever imagine having on your ring finger.
Deal breaker?

You're at a first-date brunch with a really cute guy and enjoying his tales about traveling around the world. When you get home you realize he didn't ask one question about you.
Deal breaker?

You're at a lovely restaurant with the guy you'd been hoping would ask you out for a while. Just as you are about to take your first bite, he grabs his fork and helps himself to your meal without asking.
Deal breaker?

You've just enjoyed a nice dinner with a guy and hope a second date is in the cards. He walks you to your door and just as he leans in to give you a kiss, his very bad breath makes you want to run for the hills.
Deal breaker?

It's been months since your last date and you're excited about a night out on the town. Your date picks you up at eight and drives to the nearest pizza parlor for a slice.
Deal breaker?

You're out together for the first time in a chic restaurant when your date tells you he can't turn off his cell phone because he's waiting for an important call. When the call comes in you learn it was to get basketball scores.
Deal breaker?

You're having a pleasant time with your blind date dining in a nice restaurant. The bill arrives and your date pays, but you notice he doesn't leave a tip. When you point out his error, he explains he only leaves a tip when the service is exceptional.
Deal breaker?

You're excited to get this first dinner date under way, but before the appetizer arrives, he asks you how many people you've slept with.
Deal breaker?

Your blind date gets a reservation at the best Italian restaurant in town and you're having a hard time deciding between the snapper and the veal. The waiter approaches and just as you're about to speak, your date jumps in and orders for you.
Deal breaker?

You're on your first date with a guy, having dinner at your favorite restaurant. As far as you're concerned, date number two is definitely going to happen. When the bill arrives, he reaches across the table to pick it up. He looks at it and then passes it over to you so you can figure out how much your half comes to.
Deal breaker?

You're on a plane heading out for a weeklong business trip the day after a first date. You arrive at your hotel to find a very expensive bouquet of flowers with a card that reads, "Thanks so much for last night. Miss you already. I'll be thinking about you!"
Deal breaker?

Your blind date snaps at the waiter when he brings out the wrong entree. At the end of the meal he demands that the waiter remove the price of his entree from the bill to compensate for the hassle.
Deal breaker?

Your first date with a guy is coming to a close and he offers to drive you home. As you approach his car, you notice his bumper sticker reads, "It's God's job to take care of Osama bin Laden. It's up to us to arrange the meeting."
Deal breaker?

Your date arrives twenty minutes late and apologizes profusely. He goes on to explain that he has issues with time and you should know up front he's always late.
Deal breaker?

Your date springs for a horse-and-carriage ride in the park. During the ride the horse stops to relieve itself and your guy doubles over in laughter at the horse's "monstrous dump" and goes on to tell you that it rivals his own "record-holding load."
Deal breaker?

Your blind date picks you up for dinner and a movie. While getting into the car you notice a police department parking pass on the dashboard. When you say, "Funny, I thought you worked in engineering," he says he does and explains he got the pass through a friend.
Deal breaker?

You're on your first date with a guy who orders soup for an appetizer. Just as he's finishing his last spoonful, he picks up the bowl and starts slurping away.
Deal breaker?

Conversation is flowing with your date and he asks to know your astrological sign. When you tell him Virgo, he says in complete seriousness that your relationship will probably not go anywhere because he's a Sagittarius.
Deal breaker?

You've agreed to go out on a blind date with a guy at your best friend's request. Three hours into the date, he says, "I can't believe how well this is going. After our initial phone call, I thought for sure I'd be outta here after the first drink."
Deal breaker?

Two days after the first date you come home to a message on your machine from him wondering where you are because he's sure you didn't have any plans tonight. He's also left a message on your cell phone asking where you are and that you call him immediately so he knows you're safe.
Deal breaker?

You've enjoyed a nice first date and he offers to drive you home. In the car he slips in a CD of La Traviata and starts singing along to the arias out of tune.
Deal breaker?

The cute guy you've been eyeing asks you out on a date. When you excuse yourself to go to the ladies' room, he gives you a wink and says, "I hope everything comes out OK!"
Deal breaker?

You're on a first date and during the conversation you learn he's never dated anyone longer than three months.
Deal breaker?

You're on your first date and before you order, you know more about his ex-girlfriend than you do about him.
Deal breaker?

Your best friend took the liberty of setting you up. During the date you notice the conversation keeps turning back to his high school years, which he describes as the "time of his life"; he wishes he could "do it all over again."
Deal breaker?

You've been set up on a blind date with a divorcé. You're enjoying the conversation. When you ask how long he's been divorced, he replies, "From that bitch? About five years."
Deal breaker?

You've been set up on a blind date and agree to meet at a bar for some billiards and beer. When he walks in the door, you can't help but notice he's sporting a fanny pack.
Deal breaker?

Spring has sprung and you're off to a blind date at a steak house. When you ask how you'll recognize him, he says he'll be "the one in shorts," When you remind him it's still chilly, he explains he has a rule by which he doesn't wear long pants after April 1.
Deal breaker?

Excerpted from Deal Breakers by Michele Avantario and Maia Dunkel Copyright © 2005 by Michele Avantario. Excerpted by permission of Broadway, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.