Francesca, 25

What do you do?
I work for an insurance company in the customer-service department.

Do customers ever make advances to you on the phone?
Oh yes, all the time! They start with, "Miss, you have a really beautiful voice." Then they invite me out for coffee. Sometimes they've even asked me if I was married. And even when I responded that I was — not true — to make them stop, they wouldn't give up.

It's a difficult job.
Yes, especially since they're customers — I can't really treat them badly.

Are you seeing anybody right now?
Not right now, but I just went through a month of going out with three different guys.

Any luck?
No. One of them got really attached after going out just a couple of times, but I didn't want anything serious, so I backed out.

How do you back out?
Basically, I become elusive. I answer a text message after three hours, then I answer one text every three, things like that. Right now, I really get along with guys who live in different cities that are far enough away that we see each other only once a month. This way they don't become oppressive.

Do you have any crazy exes?
Yes, my ex-boyfriend became sort of a stalker when we broke up. We were together for two and a half years, and lived together for a year and a half. I ended it. Right after breaking up, he went through a phase where he acted like the perfect man, probably trying to win me back. All his flaws had disappeared. When he saw that it wasn't working, he went crazy and started texting me that he wanted to end his life, until one night he came to my house. I was out with my friends, and he kept texting me all night — "where are you, who are you with, I see your car here, who picked you up?" The day after, he apologized and was all sweet again. He still switches between moments of being normal and moments of craziness.

Why did you break up with him?
Because we had nothing in common. We didn't see that at first, when the passion and involvement were strong. But after a while, when those faded, I realized there was nothing real between us. I also don't seem to be able to get past the two-year mark in a relationship!

Is it true that men don't court women anymore?
It's impossible to be courted by a man! I go out a lot now that I'm single, but the times that men come talking to me are like one in ten. I'm also very naïve, so I don't always get it when a guy is interested.

What type of guy do you like?
He must be funny. It may sound like a cliché but a guy who makes you laugh gets you. He must be a bit irrational and peculiar. I tend to attract the troubled type.

Are you happy to be single?
Sort of. Sometimes I miss having someone, but I'm not ready for another serious relationship. I cherish my freedom too much right now.