Single & Looking

Iris was dumped by her fiancé due to her obsession with getting to the top of her career ASAP. Now that she has, she’s decided to go fishing again. The problem? She’s looking for a guy with all the qualities she has listed on a piece of pink stationery paper.

The List

Why do most good things always come with a bad thing? Like my job and Jeff, for example. I finally achieved my lifelong goal of getting to the top of my career as quickly as possible. In this case, I’m the new president of Crème de la Crème, a multi-million dollar ice cream company, at twenty-seven-years-old. Then on the exact same day I got my promotion, I found my fiancé, Jeff McConnell standing in the lobby of the penthouse building we lived in surrounded by several suitcases.

I remember his last words clearly, “I’ll be back for my other things throughout the week.”

Apparently, he left me because he was fed up with the long hours I spent at work and, “as much as he loved me,” he couldn’t see a future for the two of us.

So now here I was, moping on my bed with a pint of Crème de la Crème mint chocolate ice cream and watching a romance comedy film playing on my plasma television-- pathetically pitying myself.

“I’m not picky,” the lead woman in the movie said to her friend. “I just know what I want-- what I need.”

“What do you want then?” the friend asked impatiently. “What is it that you need so badly that you’ve been single for five years, Tiffany?”

“I need a handsome, kind, gentle, respectful man,” Tiffany replied automatically. “I know he seems like some sort of Prince Charming, but that’s what I need and I won’t date anyone who doesn’t have those qualities. I just won’t, Amy.”

I stuffed a spoonful of ice cream into my mouth.

Wow. I adored Tiffany. She knew what she wanted and she wouldn’t let anyone crush her dreams. I needed to be like that. I needed to stop feeling so sorry for myself and get out again. After all, it had been a month since Jeff left and I wasn’t going to let him achieve the satisfaction of seeing that I was practically dead without him.

“I even made a list when I was seven,” Tiffany continued. “Ian had most of the qualities that I had listed, but it just didn’t work out.”

Ian was the guy the lead woman divorced five years earlier because they had “irreconcilable differences.”

Wait a minute…. a list! That was the best idea I’ve ever heard!

I jumped out of bed and started to search for a piece of paper and pen. I was going to list the qualities that I was looking for in a man! Then finding the right guy wouldn’t be so difficult once I made myself available again.

I finally came across a pad of pink stationery paper in a drawer on my computer table. Then I fished out a ball point pen from a container beside my laptop and wrote the number 1 followed by the first quality I knew I needed in a man:

1. He has to be at or near the top of his career.

That had been my problem with Jeff. He was still a resident doctor-- still stressed out and trying to get to the top. I didn’t blame him though since he was just twenty-eight, but the difference we had in our job ranking proved to be our downfall, so I definitely needed a guy who was already at, or at least near, the top of his career like a business executive or the owner of a pretty successful company…. But I wasn’t looking for a wealthy eighty-year-old man or anything. I wasn’t a gold digger, so I came up with the number 2 quality.

2. Between the ages of 27 and 30.

So that was two…. I had to be looking for something more in a man. I had to have been sitting at my computer table for over an hour trying to find eight other things to list because when I had finished, my mint chocolate ice cream was half melted and the credits were rolling from the movie I had been watching.

I placed the pint of Crème de la Crème in the freezer and turned off the television before laying down on my bed to look my list over.

1. He has to be at or near the top of his career.

2. Between the ages of 27 and 30.

3. Close to family and always puts them first (good priorities)

4. Outgoing

5. Humble and loving with leadership qualities

6. A true gentleman (kind, respectful, a good listener, etc.)

7. Full of wonderful surprises

8. A good sense of humor

9. Honest and loyal

The last quality was the hardest to come up with because it was the most unrealistic. Everything else seemed like traits that only Mr. Perfect would have, but they were still somewhat generally realistic. But the last quality-- the last quality was definitely the most idealistic.

10. He needs to be someone I’d love to be with; someone I’d put before my job.

In my twelve years of dating and nauseatingly long, or horrifyingly short, relationships, not once have I been with a guy who I’ve put before my schoolwork or my job. I was a workaholic and my dedication and loyalty was with my career and making my dreams of getting to the top as soon as possible come true. But, then again, now that I have fulfilled that dream…. well, maybe-- just maybe-- number 10 wasn’t as unrealistic as I thought.

I let out a deep and heavy sigh, put the piece of pink stationery paper back in the drawer I found it at, and rummaged through my closet for my jogging suit. I needed some fresh air-- and who knows? Maybe I’ll find a guy who fits the qualities I listed jogging as well. Hey, it could happen.

Author's Note: Please tell me what you think of this story so far! I had fun writing the first chapter and I'm already at work on the second chapter, so that'll probably be out tomorrow since I'm on summer vacation already. woo-hoo! Oh, and for Revealing Mina readers, the seventh chapter will be out ASAP-- I SWEAR!! I hope I haven't lost you guys!! I've re-written the chapter five times now. I thought the fifth time was pretty good, but then I quickly found flaws in Nate and Mina's conversations so I'm writing it over again. I hope it'll be worthwhile!! XD I just wanted to let all of you know that I haven't abandoned it or anything. I'll also try to get chapters out every other day since it's summer vacation. You know, try to get rid of those long waiting periods we all hate.