Many years ago, I traveled to the island of Guadeloupe after it was listed in “The New York Times” as a must-visit place for the year. I’d never been to the Caribbean before and completely underestimated the sun exposure. By my third day, I was burnt pretty badly. And since the worst of it came while I was in a bikini on the beach, it was pretty visible on my chest.

On my fourth day there, I stayed in the shade and wore a rash guard. But as sunburn can be painful, I unzipped it a little while sitting on the beach during the sunset.

I’d been there for a few minutes, watching the other people enjoying the sunset, and pretty much keeping to myself when a man casually walked up to me. He looked around a few times and then squatted down to look me in the face. After a few beats, he uttered this gem to me:

Man: “So… you got a skin disease or something?”

Me: “Uh, no, it’s sunburn.”

Man: “Ah, okay.”

Awkward silence.

Man: “So… can I buy you a drink?”

Me: “…No.”

To this day, I can’t believe he opened with, “You got a skin disease?” and then thought I’d want a date with him thereafter.

As an aside, the burn on my leg was so bad it caused permanent damage. Wear sunscreen, folks!