Nashville, TN

Driving around Middle Tennessee, I’ve seen the “Single?” signs cropping up again. If you’ve not seen them, the word “Single?” is on top and underneath is a URL to visit–usually something like www.nashvillesingle.com or www.murfreesborosingle.com, depending on what area of the city you’re in.

It seems as though these signs crop up every few months. Or maybe it’s just where I’m driving and I just happen to see them. Or they’re all following me. One of the three, though I am thinking the last one is just my own paranoia talking.

Anyway, the last time the signs were out hot and heavy in the early fall, I jumped onto the web site becuase a)I’m single and b)I was curious. See, I read this book a while ago that said if you’re single and looking to find someone, you have to check your ego and make sure people know this. One word of advice was to “get over yourself and join a dating service.”

So, I figured “why not”? What did I have to lose? I mean, besides a little dignity.

I surfed over and found that what the site wanted was contact info–name, rank, serial number. Then they’d contact you. I filled out the information and sent it off–my big question was “Well, how much will this service cost me?”

I figured I’d hear back in a few days….and when no call came, I promptly forgot about it.

Until around the first of February my phone rang with a number I didn’t recognize. I believe it was even an out-of-area number but I can’t recall for sure. Anyway, I picked up and it was the web site, falling all over themselves and apologizing for now getting back to me sooner. Problem was they were calling in the middle of the afternoon and I was in the middle of work, so I asked if I could speak to them later.

Of course, they assured me and then asked when to call. I said why not that evening or later that afternoon. They said, sure and we hung up. And I never got a call back that evening. I did get a call a few days later, this time in the middle of the morning. Again, I’m working and so I let it go to voice-mail. And then they called in the afternoon–again working and it went to voice mail.

Finally after a few days of this phone tag and the messages, I finally picked up when they called. I was a bit irritated at the constant calling when they hadn’t bothered to follow-up on me for at least six months and the fact that they wouldn’t call when I asked them to. I can understand if they were only open normal business hours, but this was never made clear to me. If it was an issue, when I asked they should have said–oh, well, we are only open x to y.

So, I spoke to the woman and told her I was no longer interested in the service.

“Why not?” she asked. “What changed?”

“Well,” I said. “You called around Valentine’s Day and I was feeling kind of lonely. Also, you called during my workday when I couldn’t talk freely.”

With that, I hung up up the phone, still no closer to the answer of what kind of service they provide and how much it costs. I’m sure it’s on the up and up….I mean, they don’t let just anyone put signs out for these kinds of things, right? But you know, I was kind of annoyed by the lack of contact for months and then the too frequent calls once they finally did get around to calling. Maybe I burned a bridge and the love of my life is out there, on their roster of potential single women…I guess I will never know.

But I do kind of smile when I see the signs cropping up….