getting back out there

I had been single for 6 months after a long roller-coaster of a relationship and I was just starting to think about "getting back out there" but the thought of it filled me with dread. Creating a dating profile, swiping through people, doing it all over again — paired with the pity from my friends when I said I was considering getting back on the dating apps, I was uninspired.

the night the idea came

Now the next part of the story sounds a bit far-fetched. I thought about making up a different version because I thought people just wouldn’t believe me. I hardly believe it myself. But it is what happened. One evening in May, I couldn’t sleep. That night, the idea of piano piano just came to me. No, I know. It just sounds ridiculous. I got a few hours of sleep that night so woke up a bit flustered given I had a whole day of work to get through with a head buzzing with an idea I wanted to process. Despite the demands of my corporate role, the idea continued to crystallise throughout the following day. By evening, I found myself immersed in creating the first pitch deck.

my papa and i

My papa is helping me run the concierge. He is in his sixties, Italian, and has spent his life in service — Princess Cruises in the eighties, then 200-cover restaurants in England. He knows what good service is because he has spent his life delivering it. I lost my mum as a teenager. My dad has been single for a while. We are both looking for love. When I asked if he would help me build piano piano, he said yes.