Page 21 of Hockey Player Seeking Fan

"I mean, you're out here looking for your one true love, and it seems to me that every date you go on, you think that could possibly be it."

"Yeah. So what are you doing? Just going out there on different dates every week, not caring about the woman? Most likely not even calling them again."

"I call plenty of women more than once. And I go on dates with women I find attractive and interesting and fun. And yeah, maybe we have sex, maybe we don't, but it's just us enjoying each other."

"Well, good for you. That's not what I want in life, and I'm okay with that. And I think it's okay for me to have a podcast exploring whether or not I'm in the majority or the minority."

"I can already tell you that you and your unrealistic standards are in the minority."

"Excuse me? What do you mean by my unrealistic standards? You don't even know what my standards are." She sounds annoyed, and I realize that maybe I've pushed it a little too hard.

"Well, tell me, what are you looking for in a man, Erica?"

"I'm looking for someone who's handsome, funny, and intelligent, who's compassionate and who's a gentleman. He’d like to open doors and buy dinner. He’d like to surprise me with flowers and gifts and tell me he loves me. He'd ask me where I got my outfit or if I cut my hair, and he'd notice if I'm wearing new makeup. He'd take me on little trips to places I've mentioned from books I've read or movies I’ve watched."

I stare at her, trying not to laugh, but I'm finding it very hard.

"Why are your lips twitching?"

"I just think that what you're looking for is not real."

"What do you mean it's not real? Is it too much for me to ask for a guy to take me apple picking or on a hay ride and to carve pumpkins?"

"I mean, I don't think that's too much for you to ask. But to expect that a guy is just going to come up with all of these things because you once told him that it would be something you're interested in?"

"If he really loved me and if he was my soulmate, he would," she says, blinking rapidly. "That's why I'm waiting for 'the one,' not any regular ole dude. There are plenty of regular crappy guysout there who will say and do whatever to get into my pants. That's not what I'm looking for. I'm looking for a man that I'm going to have a soul connection with."

"I just think that you're being very unrealistic. And I think you're going to be waiting a really long time if you're waiting for a soulmate."

"Whatever, Tyler."

"Don't be annoyed. I'm just telling you. In fact, I'm willing to bet you that soulmates don't exist."

"What do you mean, you're willing to bet me that soulmates don't exist?"

"Well, you're doing this podcast, right?"

"Yeah."

"And I suppose you're doing research for the podcast."

"Yeah."

"Well, I bet you that you're not going to find anyone who feels like your soulmate."

"You mean mepersonallydating guys?"

"Yeah." As soon as I say the words, I'm annoyed because I don't want to think about her dating other men, but I want her to realize that what she's looking for doesn't exist. I don't know why it's so important to me, but it is.

"I'll take that bet any day of the week. So how long do I have to meet my soulmate?"

"I don't know. Why don't we say three months and then reconvene and see how everything's going?"

"I would love to meet my soulmate in three months. I just don't know if that's realistic, Tyler."

"Well, that's why I said we'll reconvene. You have a packed list of things you're looking for, so if those things exist and there's a man out there that meets even half of them, I will concede that there's a high likelihood that you'll meet your soulmate."

She presses her lips together. "So, okay, the bet is—you think my standards are too high, then?"