COPYRIGHT@GERRYROSE

  By the end of summer Marie was feeling a little irritated. She had not had the summer she expected to have. She had gone home to Paris for the month of August and had been disappointed to find that her family and old friends had not been that keen to engage with her. Her sister had told her, that she couldn’t expect that people whom she had hardly kept in contact with, would be that keen to alter their plans to accommodate her. Her sister certainly didn’t. Marie found herself missing the easy life she had in Hove. However she was aware that she didn’t have that many friends in Hove either. She found Paris in August to be quiet and dusty. She had spent a lot of time alone and it dawned on her that she could do that in Hove too. She had booked a flight home after 7 days.

 On the flight home she hatched a plan. She was going to meet lots of new people in Hove. She was going to begin by starting a very exclusive Meetup and she aimed to attract people with plenty of money. ‘Elite Diners’ would be all about eating in the very best restaurants in Brighton and Hove. She would make no excuses for the fact that the restaurants that she chose would be expensive. She would insist on a deposit to secure a place and deposits would not be returned if people didn’t cancel at least 24 hours in advance. She was aiming to put off the Hoi polloi and attract a better class of person. She felt there were certainly people living in Hove who would join. She noted that Babs seemed to be posting very few events on her Meetup. Babs’ group would not be a rival to her Meetup group. Marie didn’t like cheap skates and felt there was a gap in the market for her group.

 As usual as a single woman, she wondered if her current state of mind was a by- product of being single and living alone. If she had a partner she would have felt less isolated in Paris. She wondered if she should try dating again. Would a man in her life be the solution? As a Psychotherapist she already knew the answer. No one can make you happy you have to make yourself happy first. Her current sense of irritation was more to do with feeling let down by her family. She was also aware that ‘what you sew, so shall you reap’. She had neglected her family in Paris and they were not going to rush to accommodate her and they hadn’t. She needed to make the best of the life she had chosen in Hove. Her children were always telling her that she was hard to love. She found this to be quite harsh and a bit cruel, but perhaps they were just being honest. One person she knew was fond of her was John. However, John had told her by text whilst she was away that he was moving to Harrogate. There was a swanky retirement development and he would be sure to make new friends as well as connect with his old ones. Marie would miss John. He had tried to enjoy life in Hove, but his son had let him down. John had a bit of money and she knew that he would make a life for himself in the new development which boasted a gym, pool, bistro, pub and restaurant. She had seen the photos of the flat and it would be very comfortable. She had promised to visit him.   

 Marie used to have a few lovers in Hove, but she had worked out, that she wanted to have more than a friend with benefits type relationship. She had been without any sort of partner for well over a year. The thought had crossed her mind that running a Meetup might be a good way to find a man. There was no evidence to support this, as she knew that more single women went to Meetups than eligible single men. Marie knew that life was full of moments where hope tried to triumph over reality. She also knew that when she was seeing couples for therapy that being in a relationship did not guarantee happiness. She knew that you could feel lonely in a relationship. However society was designed around couples. Anyone who has ever gone into a supermarket knows that they never cater for single people eating single portions. She had bought a fridge with a big freezer section, so that she could buy meat and poultry in family packs and freeze them in individual portions when she got home. Organic vegetable boxes were also never singleton friendly. She felt it was time that these companies woke up to what was really happening in society. In 2017 there were more than 7 million people living alone in the U.K. She was glad that she could afford to buy family packs which she was able to divide and freeze not every singleton would be able to do this.

 Marie went on to the Meetup website and signed up to do her ‘Elite Diners’ group. She would probably book a table for 6 at the Salt Room in Brighton to start with. She would definitely ask for a deposit. She didn’t mind paying the Meetup website fee and bearing the cost of this. She chose a photograph of herself to upload. She felt the photo cast her as a mature, attractive professional person. She was being proactive and this was something she always encouraged in her clients. It might be a fun thing to do and who knows who she might meet as part of this initiative. She felt confident that her group would attract discerning people. The introduction to her Meetup was:

‘Welcome to Elite Diners. This Meetup group is aimed at single men and women over 60, who like fine dining. I will always choose restaurants in Brighton and Hove which are expensive, but worth it. I will have visited the restaurants in advance and will never suggest restaurants which I consider do not offer a superb gastronomic experience. Join us and in order to secure a place you are required to pay a deposit. Cancel less than 24 hours in advance and your deposit will not be refunded. I suggest that smart casual should be the dress code for this group. I do not think t-shirts, jeans and trainers fit this code. I make no apologies for my stance. Elite Diners is for people with standards.’  Little did Marie know as she started this venture what would happen next. No one knows what is waiting for them around the next corner. Sometimes that is for the best