Jennifer's friend Courtney is one of those people who thinks everyone should be married.

"She thinks singleness is a disease which should be eradicated, especially before her husband catches it," explains Jennifer. So Courtney, doing her part to stamp out an epidemic, has made Jennifer her project, fixing her up with a series of men.

"If she tells you she knows the man, that means she has seen him at least once," explains Jennifer. "If she tells you that the two of you have a lot in common, it means you're both breathing."

The first fix-up was Keith. He was in his mid-40s, the perfect age for Jennifer, who's 36, recently divorced and the mother of three teenage boys. Keith came to the door carrying a large black plastic garbage bag.

"I didn't know if I should open it or if he was handing it to me so I would throw it out," Jennifer recalls. "I know it's been a while since I've been single, and I don't expect today's American male — especially one I haven't seen before — to bring me flowers or candy, but I was totally unprepared for a Hefty bag."

She opened it. It was filled with black plastic microwave-proof dishes. Service for 12. Some dishes were stamped "Birds Eye," others "Lean Cuisine." Keith works in plastics. This was his idea of a thoughtful gift. They went out for a drink; they talked mostly about plastic. New plastic, old plastic, research in plastic. It was a long night.

Jeremy, 39, was next, a stockbroker. He lived out of town, but traveled frequently to Jennifer's hometown. He didn't have any bags with him, just an article about himself from an aerobics magazine that listed his various accomplishments.

"He liked numbers," recalls Jennifer. "He would say things like, 'How many phone calls do you make a day? How long is the average one? What are your kids' grade point averages?' He recorded all of his aches and pains, the time of day he had them, how long they lasted, when they went away."

At dinner, he told her he'd call her the next time he was in town and that she should feel free to call him. But, he asked that she be a little careful about the sort of message left with his secretary. Jeremy, it seems, was single only when he was out of town.

And then there was Hunter, 48, one of those rare males who actually does bring women candy. He handed Jennifer eight Hershey kisses in a baggie closed with a twist tie.

As he drove to the movies, Hunter told Jennifer he had prepared a list of hypothetical situations to test their compatibility. Before he began, he asked her if she knew what an analogy was.

"I'm an English teacher," Jennifer told him. "I teach composition." Assured they were on the same wavelength, Hunter then explained he was thinking of an analogy — Jennifer was a tomato and her three children were her seeds.

Later that night her youngest son said it all. "Mom," he asked, "Why would you go out with a man named Hunter?"

Jennifer runs into Courtney occasionally. Courtney, of course, asks her how the dates worked out. "Not so great," Jennifer tells her. "Well," says Courtney. "They seemed nice. They were single."

How did your fix-ups go? Send your tales, along with your questions, problems and rants to cheryllavinrapp@gmail.com. And please check out my ebook, "Dear Cheryl: Advice from Tales from the Front."