Chapter 16 – Changing Her Criteria

 

Monday, 25 January 2016.

 

Day 36

 

The Citymarket in Ruoholahti is buzzing with special offers, so Anna cycles there after school to get some extra groceries for the teens who’ve come back yesterday night to spend a week with her.

Joey has a Coca-Cola fridge from Verkkokauppa next to his bed, and she likes to please him by filling it with healthy snacks and some other goodies. God, teenage boys eat so much – there’s no end to the expense!

She hangs the grocery bags on her bike and decides to walk home. On the way, she stops to take a quick look at her Tinder app.

How is it possible that all the men near me are finito?

Wait a minute. There are guys to be swiped once more! How does this work? Have they just joined the app??

Now that Anna knows she risks running out of potential matches again, she decides to look at their whole profile and all their pics slowly and carefully.

This guy? Hmm. Still no.

This other? OK, yes.

No.

No.

Ha, what about this one?

Hey, English name! And he doesn’t have Finnish features. Long, manly nose. 

Anna smiles, thinking of how her South American dad always says that men should have long, manly noses. Dad’s so funny – but maybe he’s right.

Why do guys post pictures such as this? A straw hat, sunglasses?? I can’t see his eyes, his hair nor his teeth (he’s sipping a drink with a friend in a summer destination). Aww. His friend is cute. Nice expression.

I’ve never swiped yes to a guy with sunglasses, and he has no profile text either. Hmmm. Hate that. But let me take a look at his other pictures. His name is in English, after all.

Oh-la-la! How elegant!!! Christian (43) is wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase. Perfect posture, as he walks toward the photographer with long strides. Wow.

Convinced, Anna swipes yes and immediately gets the happy Tinder popup screen – “Congrats, you’re a match!”

And then, “Sorry, there’s no one else near you.”

Again!

I’d better value the matches I have, haha…

 

She texts Christian a hi and he replies immediately. Cool, a short chat before I get home.

He has joined Tinder “literally five minutes ago” and she’s the first person he swiped and thus also his first match.

Really? That’s interesting.

Christian lives in Germany, but he’s in Finland on a business trip. Yes, he’s an Englishman. He might be moving to Helsinki to work as one of the CEOs of a start-up, but for now, he’ll be flying here for work on a monthly basis. Would she meet him next time?

Oh, when are you coming again?

In a month?!! Oh, it’s definitely a no-go, then. After all, I’ve decided not to chat for weeks and weeks before meeting in person.

Remember Tino, Anna? Don’t waste your time… The new system is working fine. Chat for two-three days and meet up.

 

No, please. I promise I’ll be back in four weeks. Three! I love it here! Beautiful Finland. In fact, I’m on a train to Lapland. Nearing Oulu now… Have you ever been here?

Oulu!! That’s where I’ve lived the longest in my life.

 

Anna has moved 33 times. She’s lived in five countries and twenty cities. Seven years in Oulu! She feels emotional for a second.

She tells him about that and he asks her for her phone number. Please.

She thinks, OK. He’s being polite and showing so much interest. Asking things, interacting. Finnish guys rarely ask me anything, and sometimes the chats are soooo devagar quase parando…

At least this match is making an effort.

She tells him her teens are waiting for her at home and she’ll be busy in the next few hours. But yes, maybe they could chat on WhatsApp later.

If he really messages me. Let’s see…!

© 2017 rf

Obs. All names have been changed, and chat messages were published with the match’s kind permission.

 

 

Obs. Day 36 since moving out.