Tuesday, April 01, 2014

steve spills a secret

Several weeks ago, I told you I had a big announcement to make.  And today is as good as any day to break the news.

On the 28th of December, I was in Manzanillo getting fitted for a new white tie ensemble for my two cruises later this year.  (I had long ago outgrown the outfit I had purchased in London in the 1970s.  Some lucky buyer at a Salvation Army thrift store is undoubtedly enjoying taking on the role as the Earl of Bothel.)

But I digress.

While talking with the tailor, I noticed one of the most beautiful women I have seen enter the store.  The type of woman whose presence sits down in the room before she even makes her entrance.

Latina.  Raven hair.  Eyes that could drain the well of a man's heart.  And they did.

I love meeting new people.  Especially, lovely new people.


I am accustomed to women being a bit leery of strangers.  Not her.  She was witty.  Well-educated.  And amazingly cosmopolitan for our commercial port of Manzanillo.

It turns out, she is not from Manzanillo.  She lives in Guadalajara.

I felt my heart sink.  It has been some time since a woman stoked my soul the way she did.  And I saw it all disappearing because of distance.

Then she told me she in the process of finalizing her divorce.  It would be final on 1 January, and she was going to be spending a good deal of time at her house in La Manzanilla.

While the iron was hot, I struck.  Would she like to have dinner?  Certainly.  When?  How about tonight?

And we did.

I have spent as much time with her as I could slip in between my travels, and each one has been a delight.  It is almost as if I had been in love with her since the 1980s.

It has been so good that we have decided (wait for it) to get married.

No date is set.  But here is the best part, she owns a golden retriever.  Jennifer had it right.  This is the year I get married.  Get a house.  And get a dog.

A great trifecta -- for one of my favorite dates on the calendar.


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