Every Rose Has Its Thorn 2

That evening, we were sitting at a table in a very expensive restaurant and Karl, as he said his name was, had ordered some seafood. Oysters to be precise, for the two of us. He had also ordered some fine ( and no doubt, very expensive! ) wine to be brought to our table. I concluded that he had to be rich or at least well-off, to be able to go to such a place. His entire appearance pointed in that direction. He wore an Armani-suit and a golden Rolex watch, which gave him the image of a very successful individual. I also noticed that he was even more handsome than I had previously thought, now that I could observe him more thoroughly from up close.

“I take it you’re a tourist from the United States?” he said to me. He opened the bottle of French wine and filled two of the crystal glasses with red wine.

“Are there really that many of my countrymen here?” I said with a smile. “There must be for you to say something like that.”

“I wouldn’t say that, Ann,” he answered, “but from the way you act I can tell your American. You Americans are so unique. So full of confidence, so different from all the other people in the world. I know, I’ve met people from all over the world.”
“Anyway, you’re right,” I said. “I’m an American born in New York. I arrived here just two days ago.”

“Do you like it here?” he said.

“It’s great, really great,” I answered. “It’s better than I had hoped for. The people are friendly and the weather is terrific.”

“Yes,” he said. “That’s the Caribbean I know. I grew up here and I’ve always liked it. Even though I’m now a busy businessman and has to travel a lot abroad, I still reserve time to spend my vacations here.”

“Have you ever been here before?” he asked. “Nope, first time here.” I told him. “Good,” he said with a smile. “Very good.”

Our conversation ended, when a waiter appeared at our table with the ordered dishes. Being hungry, I wasted no time to sample some of the delicacy. While I took another bite from the delicious dish, I looked up from my plate and saw that Karl, while crossing his arms and holding his chin with one hand, was staring at me.

“You’re not eating your oysters,” I said with a frown. “Is there something wrong?”

“Nope,” he said with a smile. “Nothing is wrong. It's hard to eat when you're distracted.”

“Distracted by what?” I asked.

“By you,” he said. “I was just admiring you.”

“And may I ask why?” I said.

He took one of my hands and held it in both of his hands and said: “Because your looks are just so absolutely, unbelievably breathtaking.”

I could feel the warm blood rushing to my cheeks, when he looked me straight in the eyes. I turned my eyes away and looked down at my plate. I took a moment to get a hold of myself and said as calmly as possible: “You’re exaggerating.”

“No, I’m not!” he insisted. “I’ve seen many beautiful girls before, and there have been many, but believe me when I say that you are something else. You are in a class by itself. You’re the kind of girl that makes a man want to fall down on his knees and thank God that He made him a man. In fact, you’re so fine, I wish you were mine!”

I just sat there, giggling like a little girl. I could only hope that he didn’t see that I was blushing.

“Excuse me,” Karl said, “but would you like to go out with me?”
I raised my head to look at his face. He had such a charming smile, that I got a warm feeling in my stomach. Resistance was futile and so I smiled back and said: “Why not!”


Thus my romance with Karl had begun. From that day on, we spent all of our time together and with each passing day, our passion grew stronger. We went out and it was beautiful. I remember how we spent those long romantic nights at the beach, walking side by side, hand in hand. Or we would just lay there on the sand under the crystal-clear night sky with bright stars shining upon us. During those precious moments at which I thought of nothing else but the two of us. It seemed as if time stood still.

Wherever we went, people would make casual remarks what a great couple we were. I also noticed that, when we were walking down the streets, a lot women would turn their heads, just to have a look at Karl. That would remind me that someone, as handsome and charming like Karl, was actually by my side. Even now, I still have a hard time believing that it actually happened. It seemed almost too good to be true.

Those days I spent with Karl were, without any doubt, the happiest days of my entire life. Unfortunately, like all good things, it had to come to an end. My vacation was nearly over and I would have to return to my job in the U.S.

--o--

Click on Part 1 for what happened previously or on Part 3 for what happens next in this series.