A New York Romance

Story by: Anna

Some men are real jerks, yes, I had found that out the hard way and let me tell you I have
reason to believe that there is no man out there for me, who on earth is going to fall in
love with some one like me, who?, I am a walking mess, "there is someone for everyone"
romantic movies tend to tell us that but now is so hard to believe for me, how could I believe
such a thing?, please tell me that I am wrong and I would believe in love again?. Love,
such a rare word for some people now a days, people only get instant gratification, that is the
thing today, get everything at the moment. I want to fall in love, I do, is not like I am
sabotaging everyone around me, well maybe I am doing just that, is what I do best and always
fall in love with the wrong kind of man, that is me for you. Who says he has to be sucessful
and have money, I don't need a resume, all I need is love, that is all. Is things were so
simple I would have a man in my life, look I am thirty and is not easy when you are that
ancient, well, I might be just that for people around me, thirty, is old for twenty something,
they look at us as some kind of prehistoric animal.

I want to just walk around New York like nothing ever happened to me, like I am this person
that could do anything at all but actually is not that easy, love could be every where but
not for me, not for a girl with a messy heart, many people say I am good looking but that
won't bring me the right man, it would bring me men with the wrong ideas about me, the kind
that want to sleep around and I don't want to do that, I want one man and one man only. I
know I am a dreamer and in today's world a dreamer is a loser, well, let me be a loser for
all I care because if that man is not out there for me then I would just walk around the
streets of New York doing my everyday stuff, going to work and taking walks to admire the
beauty of life, yes life is beautiful even if one heart is broken into little pieces and
you cry yourself to sleep some nights, you got it, that is me alright. I am walking home
this afternoon thinking I might just drink a latte and go home to my empty apartment. Once
again going back to a place where I hear no voices, that is so sad sometimes. Don't feel sorry for me, is not worth it.

I was drinking my coffee on one of the tables of the cafe place when I saw him, the picture
of perfection, blonde hair and a big smile on his face. Where had I seen that face? Maybe around campus, I just wanted to know where I had seen him before, then it happened, he looked at me from across
the crystal, we looked at each other, he smile and I did too. It was the weirdest feeling I had ever felt in my entire life, a man like that smiling at someone like me. I kept drinking my coffee, he didn't come in the coffee place, I knew it, why someone like him be interested in someone like me?. He probably knew from looking at me that I was a
mess of a woman, I couldn't blame him at all, a guy like that dosen’t stop twice to look at me.
The story of my life, way to go Kate, I say to myself, he just looked at you from the outside and knew you were the biggest mess in the whole wide world. I close my eyes for a second, it would be so nice for once in my lifetime to really know what it feels
like winning in love, I guess that love is not for losers like me, I thought.

As I daydreamed drinking my coffee something came to my mind, I remembered who the perfect
blonde was, I had seen him around campus, he was studying to become a lawyer, his name
eluded me at the moment, I wanted so much to get closer to the guy with the brightest smile
I had ever seen in my life, all I needed was a warm hello but I was to shy to even get close
to him at all, I was scare of someone that looked so perfect, he probably did have his faults
but when you looked at him everything seemed so in place, I could dream and think that inside
that perfect exterior he was just a mess like me, that could be a good thing for me but he
probably wouldn't say hello to me at all, what should I dream with such a thing. All I
wanted was to fall in love for once in my life and feel loved, not like an orphan. To tell
you the truth I was really an orphan, my mother had died some years ago and my father lived
in his own world in a perfectly wonderful neighborhood where everybody was a family, I didn't
fit into his life as much as he didn't fit into mine, it was the real truth and it hurt
too much for me to describe with words. Next day I decided to go to the coffee place again
maybe he would go by, yes I was pitiful, I was truly looking for something that
probably was just a mere dream, I had found out his name, Paul Gardiner, even his name sounded
perfect.

I ordered my coffee with a struddle and sat down pretending to read a book, I might look
intelligent and give an impression, I was into my own little world when I felt a presence
in front of me, I looked up and he smile, one of those bright smiles, it was Paul Gardiner,the lawyer to be.
"Sorry to bother you, can I borrow the sugar from your table?" he asked with those blue eyes flashing at me.
"Oh sure, sure", my legs were shaking but I pretended to be really cool and collected which I wasn't.
"I know you from somewhere", he smiled again, "I know is a cheesy line but I do", he took his sugar and put the carton coffee cup on my table.
"Yes, from the campus, I had seen you there a few times", at least I could talk to the man and not stammer.
"That is right, from campus you are always in the library"
"Yes I have to be, I work there"
"Then you have to be there, let me introduce myself, I am Paul Gardiner", he took my hand in a very proper way for this day and age.
"I am Kate Anderson", he pulled the chair next to me.
"Can I sit down?", he asked with those blue eyes fixed at me but not in a bad way, for the
first time a man didn't look at me with one thing on his mind and you probably know what it
is already.
"Sure", he looked at my book.
"You were reading so probably I am bothering you", I felt like such an idiot with that book
in my hand when this Adonis was right in front of me, now I was going to begin acting like
a mess and he would walk out of my life.
"That is o.k., I couldn't concentrate today", he was drinking the coffee and he kept so
calm that I thought that he was too cool to really have a conversation with me.
"Don't you get enough of books at the library?", he asked flashing a smile at me.
"I love to read, is a cheap way to travel", he laughed.
"That is true, no plane ticket and no hotel room"
"It sounds clever and is absolutly true", at that moment a bunch of people came into the
coffee place and say hello to him, he stood up talking to some of them, I could see that
I didn't fit into that group so I excused myself.
"Nice meeting you Paul, I got to run"
"See you at school, is chilly out so pull your scarf up", he pulled my scarf almost into my
face.
"There, is just right", I laughed, he was funny, he waved and I did the same.

At around one thirty I saw him coming into the library, he sat in one of the tables with
his book and notebook, then he smile at me, those smiles made my legs turned into jello,
I felt like an idiot. He came close to the desk.
"Where are the legal dictionaries, I always seem to forget"
"They are over there, in that aisle", I pointed to the center aisle. He walked towards
where the dictionaries were and I kept working behind the counter, he sat down, once in
a while he looked at me and smile, that guy should be making comercials for tooth paste,
I thought. About an hour later he closed his book and notebook and walked towards the
counter.
"When are you leaving Kate?", he remembered my name that made me very happy.
"In about ten minutes" I wondered why he was asking such a question.
"See you around Kate", he didn't say anything else and left the library, ten minutes later
I went out of the campus and I saw him sitting on the stairs of the front door.
"Hi Paul, what are you doing sitting here?"
"Waiting for a very pretty girl who works at the library", he ment me and I couldn't believe
my ears.
"You mean me?", he laughed.
"Yes, you are the only pretty girl who works in the library, actually Ms. Jameson is not
exactly young and beautiful, even though she is nice, also Mr. Perkins is not what you
called beautiful", this time it was my time to laugh, he got up from the steps and started
to walked right besides me.
"Are you going to the coffee shop today?"
"Not really I was going to take a walk, is a cold but lovely day"
"It sounds good to me, can I come along?", to me it was a suprising question to be asked.
"You could be bore Paul, I warn you", his warm smile put a glow into my heart.
"I would love to be bore by you", what was wrong with this guy?, he wouldn't be serious
about getting to know me, he was probably thinking I was some kind of intelligent girl that
liked to sleep around but his eyes say something else.

As we walked by the park Paul seemed to be enjoying my company, we laughed and made small
talk, he was the kind of man that would never come my way, there was something wrong in my
life, usually someone like Paul Gardiner would look to a more beautiful girl.
"You don't have your gloves on" he looked at my bare hands.
"I forgot them", he took one of my hands in his.
"Let me warm them up, you look like you are freezing", I didn't want to tremble in front
of him and look like an idiot, he stopped and got my hands in his and rubbed them with his
gloved hands.
"There much better", then he gave me one of his famous smiles.
"Well, thank you Paul, much better now", he looked so good in his wool sweater, his scarf
and his coat.
"I got to go home and study, I do have an exam tomorrow"
"Yes finals, I know"
"It was nice to walk with you"
"Well, it was nice to have good company", he gave me a kiss on the cheek and waved goodbye.
"See you tomorrow", he say.
"Good luck Paul", I felt the weirdest creature in the planet, Paul Gardiner really seemed
to like me and that was really a surprise to me.

I guess life was not full of jerks after all, Paul Gardiner didn't seemed to be one of them,
I hoped that I was right because if he turned to be one of them my life would lose all hope.
As always I ate my food in front of the television, trying to convice myself that something
was going to change for me, that for once in my life something good can come to me. Next
morning I went into the library, I could see some of the girls staring at me with some of
the guys that had gone into the coffee shop that day, I felt looked at like a monkey in a
cage at the zoo, maybe they were Paul's friends and knew that he had walked with me after
his classes yesterday, I tried very hard not to look at them, probably they were wondering
what a guy like Paul was doing walking with a girl like me. When I finished my work I left
the library and walked outside, he was behind me.
"Kate", he called out.
"How was your exam?", I asked wanting to know.
"I think I pass, it wasn't that bad", I smile at him.
"Then we should celebrate with a nice warm cup of chocolate"
"Sounds good to me, is a really cold day, wow no gloves again"
"Sorry I keep forgeting them but you never leave your house without them"
"No, I don't, scarf and gloves are very important in cold weather", he pulled my scarf
a little bit higher.
"Don't cover my eyes", I laughed and he did too.
"Oh sorry, yes is too high", he pulled it down a bit.
"Now much better", I was beginning to see he liked me but then I remembered the girls and
guys in the library and the way they had looked at me.
"Why aren't you with your friends?", it was best to know the truth, I hope he could tell me.
"They are just people I know, not really my friends, I am kind of a loner, quiet type"
"Are you?" it was surprising.
"I do get along with people, get together with them sometimes but I love to be in my apartment
and enjoy a quiet evening, sometimes I go an visit my parents in Long Island but I don't like
going to parties too much.
"I can believe that a guy like you dosen't even have a girlfriend, you look like Robert
Redford, you know that, don't you?"
"Yes, I heard that comment many times and truly is more than looks to the man", he was
very serious.
"That is so true, handsome and intelligent, Paul I didn't mean to compare you with him,
I mean you do have his looks, that is all, but you are more than looks", he smile and
looked at me.
"I apologyse" he looked at me with one of those bright sunny smiles.
"Apology accepted, no harm intended, I do look like the man, what can I do?", he was
funny too, did I needed to do something special for him to really stay by my side. We
laughed like kids.
"Give me your hands, let me warm them up", once again he took my hands and placed them
in his blowing air.
"I bet they are much better"
"Yes Paul, thanks, lets go for that cup of chocolate", we walked towards the coffee shop,
once in there we ordered our chocolate and bought some vanilla muffins, we looked into
eachother's eyes.
"What are you doing tomorrow?", he asked as he took a bite of his vanilla muffin.
"I was just going to stay home"
"Would you like to go take a walk by the lake?"
"Up at the lake is always so nice this time of year, the blossoms are so beautiful each
spring"
"Yes they are, so is that a yes?"
"I guess is a yes"
"Should I go and pick you up?"
"I don't live very far from here", I took out a paper and wrote with a pen my address.
"You are right, you do live nearby, I would be there by eleven, is that alright?"
"Is alright with me?", he took my hand, he had taken his glove off inside the coffee shop,
I could feel his skin on mine, warm and soft.
"Kate you are... well, how should I say this, more than beautiful, incredibly warm and
bright, and I really like you", my heart was skipping a bit, Paul Gardiner, a soon lawyer
student graduate and Robert Redford look a like really did like me, I thought that every
thing was just a stupid dream and I was going to wake up with a headacke and a heart brake,
the usual in my life, one look at his blue eyes and I knew it was not a dream.
"You like me?", my mouth was opened in surprise.
"What is not to like, I wanted to get close to you for a long time, I just didn't have the
nerve till that day in the coffee shop", I couldn't believe my ears.
"I am sorry if I seem stupid to you Paul but is just that is very hard for me to believe that
a guy actually is interested in me, specially someone like you", his smile didn't faint, he
took my hand and squeeze it.
"Any guy would be lucky to get to know someone like you, believe me Kate", so here he was
side by side with me walking and telling me all this things that my ears had never heard
before.
"I'll pick you up at eleven, is that alright?"
"Yes, is alright Paul", he gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Say you later then", he waved and I kept on walking, he was going to catch the bus.

I was ready when the door bell rang, I took peak in the door hole and saw it was Paul so
I opened up.
"Good morning, wow you look nice", I was just wearing a pair of jeans with a blue sweeter
and a nice matching wool cap, well, he looked handsome as he always did, it was actually
not that cold that morning it was in the sixties, Paul was wearing jeans, a white t shirt
tucked in his pants and a white long sleeve shirt hanging loose, he did look perfect.
"Thanks, you too", I had to make that comment.
"Are you ready?, the day is great for a stroll by the lake"
"Ready as can be", when we reached the side walk it was nice too see the beautiful day,
it was cool but nice and the trees were in bloom. We walked side by side making comments
about the things we saw along the way to the lake. We were there in fifteen minutes, the
park was big and it has beautiful trees all with tiny blooms, I breathed slowly.
"This is beautiful", he seemed so please with my comment.
"Yes, it is", he had the courage to take my hand, this time he was not wearing gloves,
I felt his touch on my skin, it was the smoothest of skins, I loved his gentle touch.
"Do you like baseball?", he asked me.
"Yes, I am not a huge fan, well, I was when I was little but afterwards being a girl
others things interested me more"
"I understand that, the reason why I ask you is because when season stars I sometimes
go to some games, I mean not all the time because I am in a budget, you know one has
expenses but I would love for you to go with me sometime", this guy was amazing, I
thought, here we were in a place where he could take advantage of me and he was just being
charming, defetnely I was dreaming, it had to be one of those fantastics dreams that
you don't want to wake up from, if it was a dream I didn't want to wake up.
"It sounds good to me"
"Really?", he seemed surprised still with my hand in his feeling a sweet tingling inside.
"Why not?, I truly like being with you" his blue eyes were flashing at me with laughter.
"You do?, he was more surprise each time.
"I do Paul, you are a different type of guy, you don't act like other guys", right then
and there he grabbed my face in his hands.
"You mean because I haven't kissed you?, not exactly what I had in mind, guys around me
acted like jerks, "I really do want to kiss you is just that I don't want you to think
I am taking advantage of us being here in this beautiful romantic place", we looked at
eachother's eyes for a moment, he was sincere, he didn't have agendas like the others
guys around the city, I liked that about Paul and yes inside of me I wished for a kiss,
and without even thinking he was actually going to do it he planted a kiss on my lips,
sweet and gentle with my face in his hands.
"I liked that very much", it came right out of my mouth the same way I thought about it.
"I am glad you did, I have plenty more", I had to laugh at that, we kept walking hand in
hand, stopping sometimes to kiss, it was very strange to me, all of it, here I was with
a handome guy that was not actually a jerk who had given me a great kiss, more than great,
amazing.
"I am usually not this forward with a woman, I did had a girlfriend not to long ago but
it took me a long while to actually get close to her but with you is different I can't wait
that long to get closer", what he had say made me fall more for him.
"So tell me about her?", I wanted to know more about that girl that kissed him before I did.
"There is not much to tell, I really liked her, I found out later it was not love, she was
way to frivolous for me, always thinking of shopping and manicures and stuff like that,
after a few months I just broke it up", maybe she was one of those girls in the group I saw
in the library, the ones stairing at me.
"Is she at the campus?"
"Oh yes she is, actually she is been trying very hard for me to notice her again, that
would be impossible under the present circustances"
"Which are?", I was curious.
"That I rather be with you", we stopped and he leaned me over a tree and just kissed me
softly with a rather tender feeling.
"That is nice of you to say", is this guy for real, I asked myself but somehow deep inside
I knew he was that way, he was a natural person, no pretences, that was great in this
society of ours that everybody pretends to be who they are not.
"So, I guess you want to know about my love life?", I played with the collar of his shirt.
"If you want to tell me, is not like you have to, really"
I want to, there is not much to tell, actually I had been alone for a long time"
"Guys are defetnely blind", he was so close I could smell his natural scent.
"I did felt in love sometime ago but my heart was broken and I was in misery for sometime,
he was a jerk", he looked sweetly at me, "we didn't have anything, he was not my boyfriend
or we had intimacy, I just felt for him and he had fun, that is all", Paul grabbed my face
again.
"He is a loser, he truly is because you are a wonderful girl to have around", we were looking
at eachother for a few moments.
"Oh look there are gigant pretzels over there, do you want one?"
"I had never had one of those before"
"Well, is about time you did, they are good, not too salty, not to dry, yeah, they are
good", he took my hand again and we walked towards the stand, he bought two gigant pretzels
and two sodas, we sat in one of the benches.
"Do you think is good?"
"Is really good"
"I am going to see my parents probably next week, they are having a cook out, do you want
to join me?"
"You mean go with you?", more surprises coming my way.
"Yes, that is what I ment", I thought that was a mayor step but it was good that he was
taking me to meet his parents, at least it ment he was not playing with me.
"I would love to go with you and of course meet your parents"
"Now don't be frighten, mom has this tendency to want to hook me up with every girl she
sees, she might be all over you, so please just act cool",I laughed.
"I would be cool, I promise"
"Dad is more the rational guy, he is the opposite of my mother but nice man"
"Do you have brothers or sisters?"
"Well, not really, I do have cousins, lots of them"
"Oh well, I guess that makes up for having no brothers or sisters"
"How about you?', he asked as we finished our gigant pretzel not so gigant any more.
"I had a sister but she died a few years ago, actually I am kind of orphan, my dad lives
up state New York but I see him only once in a while, he is married to a younger woman and
well has an step son who I think he likes more than me but that is life for you", he saw
the sadness in my eyes.
"You have me close, I hope that makes up for some absences", he say wiping some crumbs
from my mouth.
"You are great, do yo know that?"
"No, I didn't know that but I love to hear it"

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Texte: c2011
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 10.12.2011

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