~One of my most favorite love stories, is my own. So this is the story of how Alfonzo and I met and fell deeply in love. Remember kids, the best love stories are the ones that last forever!~
I had just transferred from Alaska University to a private college in California, on account that my family had run into quite a bit of money when my grandfather found oil in his backyard. The school was in San Francisco, a city I had loved growing up. It had been so long since I had been in California and even though I was all alone with no family members, I was happy.
This is where I met Alfonzo. We were in the same psychology class and on the first day he sat next to me and said "You are very pretty" and that was all. Class was beginning so I had no time to respond. I tried to keep my cool, but I was intrigued by this young man. He had an English accent, or so I thought, but also a very dark completion and black hair, long enough to reach the top of his neck. He was wearing a yellow sports coat and suspenders, yet all this time I spent analyzing him he never even once glanced over at me. After class, as I was gathering my book bag, he tapped me on the shoulder.
"Would you like to get something to eat?" he said. I agreed and we left together as he told me about some diner that he loved. He had a yellow Datsun car, a similar color to his jacket. I can remember that night very fondly. It was raining like crazy and he was driving much faster than necessary. When we reached the diner, the rain had stopped and we took a short stroll, hopping puddles and avoiding drops from extending tree branches. The diner was sweet and small and all the waitresses rode around on their roller skates. We both ordered a hamburger and fries.
Ketchup was dripping down my chin, "Still think I'm pretty?" I joked.
"Certainly" he said "One of the most beautiful creatures I have ever seen. You said your name was Beatrice? Such an elegant name to fit your elegant structure". It seemed like he was probably bullshitting all this but nothing was more desirable to me than when someone could appreciate my perfect name. He talked like a poet and moved like an actor, and I had never felt better or worse than when I was with him.
So we continued going on spontaneous little dates, sometimes to the diner, sometimes to the movies but always planned on the way there. This was driving me crazy because I quite like to prepare for things and establish routines or plans. I was one date away from calling it off when he told me he had to go back to Wales, where his family was. I was surprised how sad I was to hear the news but he left soon after without much fuss.
A week or so later I received a letter from him in the mail. It was sealed in a leaf green envelope and hand written. While I had thought we had broken up, this letter proved different. I had never heard any man be so freely open about his emotions as he described his situation. We began corresponding through the mail. To me this is the most romantic thing a couple could do, as they say absence makes the heart grow fonder but letters keeps the intimacy alive. Its like you can crawl through the letters and curl up inside the mind of the writer, living off their vocabulary and breathing the shape of their handwriting. Our letters became longer and fuller and I started to realize how much I loved this young man.
As my sophomore year as a college student came to a close I remember feeling suddenly depressed and lonely. The letters from Alfonzo were becoming less frequent. He was very busy at the time helping to keep his family business of yarn manufacturing alive. At last I received a letter from him, it was surprisingly much shorter than his last letter. It read only five words: "I want to see you". Enclosed was a plane ticket to Wales.
I arrived at the Wales airport at four in the afternoon with only one suitcase. Alfonzo was there to pick me up in his yellow Datsun (you cant imagine all the crap he had to go through to get the car shipped over to the UK). We drove to his family cottage out in the hills, it was a relatively cloudy day and the air smelled nice and fresh. The family cobblestone cottage was in Swansea and had the most beautiful view of the ocean. Alfonzo got my suitcase out of his trunk and invited me inside to meet the family......
TO Be Continued
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