I took Gorata’s hand (and oh what a lovely, soft hand it was) and led her to the pool. We climbed down the steps at the shallow end, and then she leaned in and swam off. I swam after her.

“Oh, this is nice. Thanks,” she said.

We swam a bit then stood and talked. We talked about work. She told me she liked her new job. She had done a short accounting course and she was glad it had paid off. Me too, I thought.

“So,” I said, coming in for the kill, “I wonder if you and I could go out sometime?”

Gorata has the most beautiful eyes. Big and round with impossibly long lashes. When she’s considering things, she likes to close her eyes for a moment, her long dark lashes resting on her cheeks; it’s the most beautiful thing. She did it just then in the pool and my knees went a bit weak. I had to look away.

She opened her eyes and looked at me, smiling. “OK, sure Mmila. I’ll go out with you.”

And that’s how it all started.

*****

For that first date I collected Gorata at her parents’ house where she still lived. Luckily I didn’t need to go up to the door. I wasn’t ready to meet her parents. As soon as I pulled up outside, she came out. I jumped out of the car and rushed to meet her. She wore a short red dress. Her hair was always cut short, which brought out her eyes. She had on intricate red earrings and high, red sandals. She looked like a model and for a moment my confidence wavered. What was a woman like this doing with a guy like me?

“So Mmila, what have you got planned for us?” she said as we drove off.

I smiled. “I thought it would be a surprise.”

“Ooh, I like surprises.”

It was a bit early for dinner so I drove out of town towards the coast.

“Are we going to the sea? I adore the sea!” Gorata said. Things were going well so far.

By the time I parked, the sun was starting to set. We left our shoes in the car and walked down to the beach. We found a hidden cove, sheltered from the wind, and sat on a big flat rock.

“When I was a little girl my father used to take me to the beach. Just him and me. It was our special thing.”

“That’s nice,” I said. “Do you still go to the beach with him?”

“No, he died six years ago.”

“I’m sorry. Maybe this was a bad idea.”

Gorata put her hand over mine. “No, not at all. It’s lovely. I don’t like to think of my dad in a sad way. The beach reminds me of all the happy times we had together. It’s perfect.”

We stayed longer than I thought we would. I’ll be honest – I really hadn’t dated much before that time. I had had a few girlfriends, relationships that lasted a month or two and a handful of one-night stands that meant nothing. But I’d never met a woman like Gorata. Most women are playing a game, I suppose like most men are too. It’s all show and hot air. It takes a long, long time before you get to know the real person underneath. Sometimes you never do.

But with Gorata it was just her. She was who she was. I could tell she wasn’t trying to be someone that she wasn’t, and because she wasn’t, I wasn’t either. It was nice. Being with her was like being with a really hot best mate who I was trying to stop myself from kissing. Well, sort of like that. I’m no writer, but I think you get my point.

***

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