Calgary, August 2022
I hate rain. Rain ruins everything I like to do. It spoils trips to the mountains, prevents me from flying my airplane and wrecks the Mexico beach holidays. But one time rain brought me luck, or at least that’s what I thought.
It started innocently enough by me shopping in my favorite food store. It took quite a while to fill in my shopping cart and, in the meantime, it started to rain. It was more than just rain, it was a true rainstorm with wind, hail and all the rest. I was waiting, like everybody else, for it to stop, but the sky was black, and it looked like a long wait. Most of the people had their shopping carts full, but a woman beside me had only a small bag with two items in it.
“It is not worth getting soaked for just two items,” I said, trying to start the conversation.
“You are right. If I had known it will rain like this, I wouldn’t have come.”
She had a pleasant voice, was smiling at me and I decided to be a good Samaritan.
“I tell you what,” I said. “I will go for my car, load my shopping, and then drive right here, in front of the door. You hop in and I drive you to your car.”
“I don’t have my car here, I walked. I live nearby.”
“Then I drive you home. You can’t walk in this rain.”
“Thank you, it would be very nice of you.”
As soon as I stepped outside, I was soaked. By then there was no point to hurry. I was slowly pushing my shopping cart and the water was beating me from all sides. After loading the shopping into my car, I drove in front of the store, opened the passenger door and she jumped in. Even those few seconds outside made her drenched. She directed me to the underground parking garage of the building where she lived and said: “You can’t drive home soaked like that. Come with me, I will dry your clothes, it will take only about ½ hour in a dryer.”
We went to her apartment and as soon as I entered, she asked me to take off all my cloth. I was standing there in my underwear, and she said: “Everything. Don’t’ be shy, I am a nurse, I have seen it all. You can take a shower while waiting.”
She led me to her bathroom, and while I was enjoying the stream of hot water, she joined me in. “To utilize hot water more efficiently,” she explained, and then added: “My clothing was wet too, so I put it in the dryer with yours.”
After showering and drying our naked bodies, it was natural to go to bed, and the ½ hour of waiting wasn’t wasted. Then, after we put on our dry and warm garments, I asked:
“Will I see you again?”
“It’s up to you. Here is my phone number.” She gave me a piece of paper and I left.
I called her the very next evening. There was no answer, nurses work irregular hours, and I left a message. She answered two days later saying that yes, she would like to see me again. We arranged a dinner at the close by restaurant and ended up in her apartment again. Then I invited her to my place and events took a predictable turn. Walks in a park, romantic evenings, sex. She told me that her name was Julia, she lived in a small town close by and worked in their local hospital. Here she was doing one semester practicum for her Master of Nursing.
I liked Julia and liking slowly turned to love. I wasn’t thinking about any long-term plans like marriage, I just wanted to be with her. I felt happy in her presence.
“What are you going to do after the semester is over?” I asked her several times, but she gave me evasive answers.
“I don’t know, it depends.”
“Depends on what?”
“Depends on the situation.”
It should have been a warning for me that something wasn’t right but, as they say, love is blind.
“What about a week in Mexico? You know, sun, sand, and sex,” I suggested.
“I will think about it.”
I thought she would be happy to accept such a holiday, and I prebooked one-week all-inclusive trip. Then, few days before the end of the semester, I invited her for a dinner in my place.
“You know I mentioned a holiday in Mexico. We can discuss it while drinking wine.”
I was waiting in my apartment for a long time, but Julia didn’t come. Instead, she sent me the following message:
I am sorry, I cannot go to Mexico with you. My husband and my son are expecting me. Please forgive me for hurting you.
Julia.
It was raining when I read her message.