Posted on 2019.06.10
When she walked her jet black hair swayed in unison with her hips. Parted down the middle, her hair ended just above her waist. Her complexion was a creamy with an olive hue, which only served to highlight her dark eyes. Dressed in a simple tank dress, blazer, and heels, she looked like she had come straight from an office to meet with me. I looked at my watch and noted that she had arrived a few minutes early. This interview was already off to a great start.
When selecting Companions, there are certain qualities that we look for and are the kinds of things that cannot be taught. How to be a presence without creating a spectacle. How to make the person you’re with feel like you’re the only people in the room. How to listen effectively. Great personal style. I could tell in the first thirty seconds that she had all of this, but what else could she offer a Client?
Our Clients expect more than exterior beauty and so do we. You could have the most beautiful woman on your arm, but with nothing else to offer, she might as well be a cardboard cutout. Lianne had an arts degree and had travelled to 19 countries in the last five years. She didn’t live in the city; preferring to live in the suburbs where life was quiet and she had space to garden. As she told me about her last trip to Bucharest, I studied her features, trying to determine her age. She did not look as if she lived all the years she had described. Best of all, she was funny. Her humour was witty and observational. I could already think of three Clients who would love to spend time in her company.
I asked her which country she would like to visit next and was touched by her response.
Her next planned trip was to the place of her mother’s birth. A war had driven them away years ago and it had been too painful a topic to even consider a return trip when she was younger, but she wanted to discover that part of her past. Knowing that it was a popular destination now, I asked if she planned on taking the trip alone, with her mother, or if she hoped to have a client take her. Lianne explained that for the first trip, she wanted to discover it on her own.
“This place is just for me. But anywhere else a Client wants want to go, I’m happy to join them.”
Lianne was the kind of woman who was content with her own company. She wasn’t the kind of person who demanded a lot of attention and she enjoyed to experience life in as many different ways as possible. I could understand why being a Companion appealed to her. As I described our business to her, she looked as if she was taking detailed notes in her head, nodding at specific details and asking what I considered to be the right questions. I turned the conversation back to her and asked her what kind of client she expected.
She described a professional man. Smart, hardworking, and a little bit shy. The kind of man she would enjoy bringing out of his shell. A client who would not only appreciate what a Companion had to offer, but who could offer something in return. She described a past arrangement she had enjoyed with a man who travelled often on business. He spent his time with her as a reprieve from his hectic life. Their weekends together were regularly interrupted with calls and emails from work and it wasn’t unusual for him to have an emergency meeting on a Saturday afternoon. This is why their arrangement included full weekends of visits. She would enjoy that downtime while he tended to his whatever emergency had popped up. That time spent away from her meant that he would show his appreciation with his full and undivided attention. It had really given her insight into just how demanding a life can be for a man in a certain position. Knowing these challenges had given her an special understanding of need versus want, and the value of time.
I asked her why it ended if it was such a great arrangement. She explained that he made the decision to enter politics; no further explanation required. Their parting was amicable and they left it with the understanding that should he ever have a weekend free, he could contact her – through us. He told her that he was excited at her possibly joining Cupid’s and that it was his suggestion to apply. He thought that a woman like Lianne would enjoy our Clients and that they in turn would enjoy her company. I asked her for the identity of this man, wondering if he had been a Client of Cupid’s, in the past (or present) but she politely declined as she wanted to protect his privacy. Once again, impressive.
When we parted, I let her know that I would be in touch, but in my head I was already making plans for what would come next. Her photo shoot, her bio, her first destination booking; I started to create checklists right then and there. She gave me a bright smile and shook my hand firmly saying that she was just happy to have had the opportunity to meet me.
Later that day I looked down at my phone and saw that Lianne had sent me a follow up thank you email. In it, she asked me a question related to one of my own travel stories. I smiled and replied with the answer and finished it with my favourite three little words:
Welcome to Cupid’s.
Photo by Unsplash