Sitting outside a restaurant in Porto, Portugal – I smiled as I watched the world go by. I was relaxing after I had enjoyed the most incredible brunch complete with a traditional croquette and some white port, when a softly spoken gentleman appeared and asked if he could share the table. It was a very busy restaurant and I was technically at a table for two, so I gestured to the chair and he joined me.
Now, there’s always a moment as a woman alone in public where, when you’re approached by a man, you’re concerned. Will they do or say something that puts you at ease? Or will they confirm your initial suspicion that you are indeed going to have to find an excuse to leave? Luckily the gentleman did the former. But for those thinking this is the start of a whirlwind holiday romance , allow me to burst your bubble – I am not his type.
‘My husband is back in England,’ he smiled. ‘And I’m meeting a friend out here who is giving me a vineyard tour, do you mind if I join you?’ As a stand-up comedian, I spend my life on the road. I’m used to turning up in a strange town or city, working in a soulless chain café where they won’t kick you out for being on a laptop, before heading back to a grimy hotel room by myself.
To me, that’s normal. But a year before my Porto trip, the rug was pulled from under me when my relationship ended a few days before we were supposed to be going for a break in Cornwall, and I couldn’t face doing the holiday we’d planned toget.
