Single Hunt
by Pascale.


This story could start any place. On a boat, on London Central, but let's just start on a horribly lame party at work. Again, me and love didn't meet. Just turned 22, I decided to make a stop and look at the stats, and they weren't that good at all. I was done with the ladies. Yea, they'd shine and smile at you in the commercials, but they never just come and sit on the couch with you after a busy day at work. Looking back I realized that I choose for the way that American boxers call 'dope-a-rope': no matter how hard your competition -or yourself- tries to get your down, you won't get down until you hit yourself in the face. Failed dates, relationships that ended: I forgot about them as fast as I could, in the hope that I knew exactly what to do when I'd run into 'the one'. I may be still young, but I already had enough of it. After all these years of being in the ring, I realized that there also was another option; getting out of it. Bye bye women. That, what I decided that night, was the right plan for me. Say goodbye to love. It was a decision that felt right, but it wasn't fun to actually go through with it. I was walking around like a mad 5 year old who's balloon had just popped. When I saw the head of Olivier (a mansmagazine which included feelings and womentalk) walking up to me, I decided to take it all out on him. "Matthew," I started. "," he said, not knowing. "Good to see you. I'm going to call yo tomorrow with a real fun new project for you. See you later!"
The next day I got the phone call. ", Matthew speaking, say... you're a single man aren't you?" "Yes," Then the conversation took a surpirsingly strange turn. There was another jounalist -'a fun girlo'- that wanted to go on a 'singletrip' with me for an article. She'd write about her view on single men, and for me to write about single women, things based on each other. I'd write for Olivier, and she'd write for Elle Magazine. Her name was , and no, she'd no idea who I was. Well, she'd read my articles. And where we'd go? She'd take care of it.
I listened to Matthew's story, walked to my desk where I googled . It only took me seconds to see a pretty girl around my age, smiling at me like those women in the commercials do. "I," I said to Matthew who was still on the phone with me, "am on Punk'd right?" About a week later I got an email from . "Hey , have you heard? We're gonna make a trip together."


Day One: London-Athene

Greek was where we were going. The place where Aphrodite, the godess of love, left her footsteps, we were gonna make a boattrip for eight days. The organisation was called 'Mr OneWaveAway' which I found original, but still ridiculous. The director, called 'Mr Wave' by (but never when he's around though) tells us about the 2500 Greek islands and about the same number of singles on his trips. That's a good thing, becaue we're on a 'single hunt', as calls it. Before we take of on our boat, we have to find it first, and that's gonna be a hard task on the first night. While we're walking around in the dark, checking every boat's name, I feel myself sort of responseble for my travelmate for the first time. It's late and if she would have been with another man, he would have used his navigationsystem that's built in to his head and take her to the right boat immediatly. I take her bag, throw it over my shoulder and immediatly regret helping out. Luckily, isn't as shy as I would be in these situations and asks for the right way about a million times until we found the boat.
When we get on board of the Paris -named after a Greek Prince that seduced the beautiful Helena, or kidnapped her, it's just how you look at it- we meet the other people onboard. , who brought his 6year old son. , a guy from Manchester who says "Maybe I'm just oldfashioned but," about half of the time and the owner of the boat, an old man called Martin. The other people are still on their way, or are already asleep. We actually also sleep on the boat, yes, and that leads to one of these things that I hadn't even thought about yet. Do we want a small tiny room with one bed and a matrass on the floor, Martin asks, or do we want to sleep in óne bigger bed in the back of the boat? I swallow and look at , while the choises still echo in my mind. In óne bed, wíth . I might have said goodbye to love, I'm still a little of a man. "?" "It's your call," I say as cool as I can be. "Alright then," she said after looking into both rooms. "We're gonna sleep in the same bed."


Day Two: Athene-Epidavros

It's busy while getting up. Next to , and Martin the other passengers of the Paris are: , Martin's son; , 's best friend; and two elderly lovers, Daisy and Tim. Daisy's German, a quite large German. She came along because, the devorced Tim that she met on the internet, booked this trip already.
The morning is in the sign of meeting the other sailors. They're not on the same boat as us, but are following us along all the islands. There's not much of sailing going on today, but that's alright. Slowly we pass the islands which gives us a beautiful sight. I'm having a good time with , who gave me an unasked lesson 'practical thinking'. "There is no time, it doesn't exist" she says excited. And 'Really, the universe takes care of you!' I'm not totally convinced. Even worse, after 3 minutes I am forbidden to make any more jokes about it. On board everything's going great. The guys named me the manager of the jar (the jar where we all had to put 20euro's in) and everybody seems to think that and I are a couple. After getting on land at night with about 30people, counting the other boats aswell, we go and have a bite somewhere and afterwards go for a drink. keeps on saying: "Or am I being stupid now?" and "Yea you are, shut it!" Just like me, they both stopped caring about their lovelifes for a bit. even has a kid that he wanted to take with him on this trip, but because of bad communication with his exgirlfriend that didn't happen.


Day Three: Epidavros-Póros

For the second time I wake up next to (not in that way), who starts the day with a deep sigh. There's a busexcursion planned to a museum in Epidavros but she's not in the mood. "I don't like seeing things," she protests, and I know so well why I said goodbye to love again. "Then don't come with us," I try. "No, no, alright then... I'll come with you," "Good," "What, good? Do we have to go now?" When we get to the museum -because the old greeks didn't have microphones, is still known for the acoustic in every room- 's still not really a shining sun, but still is fun to be around. I don't know if I'm fun to be around aswell. When I and a few of the people that we travel with, to test the acoustic of the building, start singing a Johny Cash song as loud as we can, she burries her head between her knees. "Fun, innit?" I yell. "," says. "That was réally embarresing," After that things get better, especially when we find a hotel where we can all shower for just 5euro's. It will be the last good shower that we get for the week, at least, for me. Because where ever we get, is always welcommed with open arms and I get banned to a small toilet with a showerpit. Sailing is also a thing that we still do, and that afternoon we enter the small village called Póros that looks like it came straight of a 'greats from' card. What's supposed to be white turned yellow and things that used to be blue are now greenblue. Póros, Martin tells, has a boulevard, so we can go shopping if we want to. jumps of the boat and ties the ropes froms the boat onto thick hooks. When I help her get back on the boat, something happens that makes me feel for her. Her sunglasses fall into the water. And while I see it slowly sinking into the deep water, I'm touched by how much we look alike. Drowning your sunglasses is something so typical for me to do. "Quick, try and get it!" calls out. I look into the water and see how it's almost touching the sand on the bottom and decide to watch it hit the sand. It are hér shades after all. "Shit," she follows. "Now you've got to buy a new one!" Hold on for a second, buy a new one? Confused I scratch my head and then I get it. "O," I say and see that the sunglasses, now lying on the sand, are mine. "I dropped it myself..."
At night we go out. 's flirting with the bartender, while I let myself surprise by the Greek couples. Greek men hold their women like they're a huge teddybear that they just won at the fair that they hold firmly because they don't know what else to do with it.


Day Four: Póros-Vathi

"Do you know why you don't have a girlfriend? You don't know how to have a proper argument," a friend of me last told me. I know all those sentences that start with 'Do you know why you don't have a girlfriend' so well, but this was a new one. And I agreed with him. Anways: this holiday wasn't the time to change that. On the boat we laugh alot, thanks to , who likes to play the boss of the boat. ", pull that rope!" he yells at me while holding the wheel. "Now, now... I can't do everything at the same time," "Yes you cán !" "You make me blush," "No I'm inspiring you to work harder." Once we got of the boat and stepped into Vathi -counting only 14 houses- wants to go running with me again. At first I had my doubts about that, but I take it all back when I see her fighting up a hill. The run we make, twice stopped by sheeps and cows crossing the street, is more beautiful than books say it is. On our left we're looking down at the sea and I... secretly I only have eyes for . Maybe it's the air up here, I hope, but she's so pretty like this. Her cheeks sweaty, her lips red from working out. When we stop I think it's time to say something. "Hé, uhh, what I wanted to say: I'm gonna carry on running for a bit."


Day Five: Vathi-Perdika

Today we can go swimming, but then first somebody has to swim to the island to tie one of the roaps around a rock so we won't float away. For three days I'm ashamed for my sailingabilities and decide that I will do it. , who is dressed in a shymaking short dress today, doesn't like the idea. "Are you sure, ? This seems like nothing for you to do." What can go wrong? Nothing, I think, while I jump into the cold water. I swim like my life's in danger and get on one of the rocks safely. Wow, I feel like James Bond now! Back on the boat 's still not liking it. "Look at that, you're shaking like a mad person!" And of course, in the end she'd been right all along. When I jump back into the water with another roap from the other side of the boat, my knee opens when I hit a sharp rock. See there, the difference between , and the British secret agent.


Day Six: Perdika-Korfos

I was sixteen when for the first time something happened in my life that was love-related. I was sitting on a boat and was inches away from kissing a girl. I can still see myself sitting there -there's also a picture taken, that helps- but strangely enough I really can't remember if we kissed that afternoon, yes or no. I think about it when I'm suntanning on the Paris. is lying next to me and she's reading. We talk about the past, talks that get deeper by the day, like with packing groceries: who's smart puts the heavy big things in first, so they get out the last when you unpack. To break the tension a bit, I point at a boat that passes us. "Look, that's what I think, way wáy after you of course, is a beautiful woman." "What?!" says. "Well if thát's your type, I can drag ten ladies out of Tesco's for you!"
"Dolphins!!" Martin suddenly yells. We look up and see them shooting over the water. The calm blue see with green mountins and a blue sky with no cloud to be seen, and inbetween dolphins jumping around, a perfect picture. The sailing leads to a new village, Korfos, a place that's so small that there's not even a cashmachine. There is a restaurant though. At dinner, Martin tells about old sailorstories and gets drunk. When he helps two kids buy icecreams he looks at our table and yells "Just like the old times! Kids, man, that's the best thing that can happen to you!" At the boat at night he's still a bit drunk. "Ay, ay, cap'tain!" he keeps on yelling from his bed. In a week became a little bit our after all. "I don't want to be on the cover!" he yells with every photo. Won't happen , I promise.


Day Seven: Korfos-Athene

While the day starts with a beautiful sea where we all can bath, it's not 's day. At noon, when there's time to walk into Athene and have fun, the bomb breaks. Suddenly we're fighting and so friendly as we have been this week, so mean are we now. "Winer!" she says. I think it's a ridiculous word -say 'weener' if you're gonna swear anways- but I really get pissed when the line falls that every woman uses in a fight: "Yes, I'm a bad person!" Funny how that sentence can turn the whole dicsussion around. "Gosh ! You're not a bad person! I never said that!!" Still hissing at each other we join , order a cab and climb the Akropolis. At the top more than only the 'Parthenon' is damaged. "Do you still like me?" I ask when I have doubts about if our friendship is still to be fixed, yes or no. "No," she answers me, but she's smiling with it. "Should I make a picture?" "Sure, go ahead." Back from all the damaged buildings we put in a cab and we go out to see what the nightlife is like in Athene. "We still have to hunt!" calls out. But, first there's dinner. When we're sitting in a cosy restaurant we conect even better than before the fight. "They all thought that we were a couple, huh?" I say to say something that still wasn't spoken about. "Yea," nodds. "At the first night already, made me kind of proud." I bite on the inside of my cheek. Seriously, I think that that's the nicest thing anybody has ever said to me. Weird to think that in two days I won't be seeing her anymore. Because, she's nót mine, I know that. Like the classic Paris kidnapped Helena, the new Paris kidnapped for just a week. If you open Elle Magazine and read her article I'm sure that you won't find my name, I'm just guessing. Every story has two sides. "You know," says. "You don't have to be so mythical about women. Really, it's all way easier than you think." I nodd. "Easier, I'm gonna remember that. Shall I tell something crazy?" "Yea!" "When we were lying on the boat yesterday, I rememberd something from a long time ago, from when I was sixteen. I was also sitting on a boat with a girl and was about to kiss her. Do you know what the stupid part is? I really can't remember if I did or didn't kiss her that afternoon. Maybe that's a good ending to that story, I though. That, it doesn't really matter what you do." "Do you know how your story is gonna end then?" Éverybody knows how this story is gonna end! In a day, a week or maybe a month, tanned and healed, I just am gonna get back into that ring and box for what I'm worth.

THE END