mind with the enthusiasm and artlessness of a true storyteller. She told him little about Ireland. She felt that if he knew that she wasn’t rich like him he might lose interest in her and she couldn’t afford that. She had to pretend she came from a life of privilege. But Paco loved the way she was different from all the girls he knew back home and all the sophisticates he had met in the various cities of his travels. She was unrefined and carefree. When he kissed her he did so with the intention of removing her hideous lipstick.
Anna had never been kissed like that before. His lips were warm and wet, his face cold from the night air. He held her close and pressed his mouth to hers with a passion she had only ever seen in the flicks. When he pulled away and gazed down at her face he saw that he had kissed her make-up clean off. He liked her better that way.
They sat on the edge of one of the fountains in Trafalgar Square and he
kissed her again. He pulled out the pins from her hair and scrunching it in his hands he let it fall over her shoulders and down her back in wild, rolling curls.
‘Why do you tie your hair up?’ he asked, but before she could reply his mouth was on hers again, his tongue gently exploring her mouth with a fluid sensuality that caused her stomach to flutter as if the wings of a hummingbird quivered within. ‘Please forgive my English,’ he said after a while, holding her face with one hand and running the other down the hair that fell away at her temple. ‘If I could say this in Castellano it would sound more poetico. 1
‘Yer English is very good, Paco,’ she replied, then blushed at the sound of his name.
‘I don’t know you, but I know I love you. Si, te quiero,' he said, tracing his fingers down her cold cheek and looking into her features with incredulous eyes as if trying to discover the nature of the spell that captivated him. ‘When do you return to Ireland?’ he asked. Anna didn’t want to think about that. She didn’t want to contemplate never seeing him again.
‘The day after tomorrow. On Monday,’ she replied sadly, nuzzling her face into his hand and smiling up at him regretfully.
‘So soon!’ he exclaimed in horror. ‘Will I ever see you again?’
‘I don’t know,’ she said, hoping that he would think of something.
‘Do you come to London often?’
‘No.’ She shook her head. Paco moved away from her and sat with his elbows on his knees, anxiously rubbing his face with his hands. At once Anna feared that he was going to tell her their romance had no point. She watched his body expand beneath his coat as he sighed deeply. In the yellow glow of the city lights his face looked melancholic and dejected; she wanted to wrap her arms around him. But she was afraid he might reject her so she stayed where she was, not even daring to move.
‘Then marry me,’ he said suddenly. ‘I cannot support life without you.’
Anna was overwhelmed and disbelieving. They had barely spent more than a few hours together. ‘Marry you?’ she stammered.
‘Yes, marry me, Anna,’ he told her seriously. He took her hand in both of his and pressed it fervently.
‘But you know nothing about me,’ she protested.
‘I knew I wanted to marry you the moment I saw you in the hotel. I’ve never felt like this about anyone. I’ve dated girls, hundreds of them. You’re not like anyone else I’ve ever met. You’re different. I can’t explain it. How can I explain
what’s in my heart?’ he said and his eyes glistened. ‘I don’t want to lose you.’ ‘Can you hear the music?’ Anna asked him, standing up and suppressing the thought of Sean O’Mara and the commitment they were supposed to be making to one another. They both listened to the soft music that reverberated across the square from a club somewhere.
‘77 voglio bene, 1 he murmured, repeating the words of the song.
‘What does that mean?’ she asked as he took her in his arms and started to dance with her
Anna had never been kissed like that before. His lips were warm and wet, his face cold from the night air. He held her close and pressed his mouth to hers with a passion she had only ever seen in the flicks. When he pulled away and gazed down at her face he saw that he had kissed her make-up clean off. He liked her better that way.
They sat on the edge of one of the fountains in Trafalgar Square and he
kissed her again. He pulled out the pins from her hair and scrunching it in his hands he let it fall over her shoulders and down her back in wild, rolling curls.
‘Why do you tie your hair up?’ he asked, but before she could reply his mouth was on hers again, his tongue gently exploring her mouth with a fluid sensuality that caused her stomach to flutter as if the wings of a hummingbird quivered within. ‘Please forgive my English,’ he said after a while, holding her face with one hand and running the other down the hair that fell away at her temple. ‘If I could say this in Castellano it would sound more poetico. 1
‘Yer English is very good, Paco,’ she replied, then blushed at the sound of his name.
‘I don’t know you, but I know I love you. Si, te quiero,' he said, tracing his fingers down her cold cheek and looking into her features with incredulous eyes as if trying to discover the nature of the spell that captivated him. ‘When do you return to Ireland?’ he asked. Anna didn’t want to think about that. She didn’t want to contemplate never seeing him again.
‘The day after tomorrow. On Monday,’ she replied sadly, nuzzling her face into his hand and smiling up at him regretfully.
‘So soon!’ he exclaimed in horror. ‘Will I ever see you again?’
‘I don’t know,’ she said, hoping that he would think of something.
‘Do you come to London often?’
‘No.’ She shook her head. Paco moved away from her and sat with his elbows on his knees, anxiously rubbing his face with his hands. At once Anna feared that he was going to tell her their romance had no point. She watched his body expand beneath his coat as he sighed deeply. In the yellow glow of the city lights his face looked melancholic and dejected; she wanted to wrap her arms around him. But she was afraid he might reject her so she stayed where she was, not even daring to move.
‘Then marry me,’ he said suddenly. ‘I cannot support life without you.’
Anna was overwhelmed and disbelieving. They had barely spent more than a few hours together. ‘Marry you?’ she stammered.
‘Yes, marry me, Anna,’ he told her seriously. He took her hand in both of his and pressed it fervently.
‘But you know nothing about me,’ she protested.
‘I knew I wanted to marry you the moment I saw you in the hotel. I’ve never felt like this about anyone. I’ve dated girls, hundreds of them. You’re not like anyone else I’ve ever met. You’re different. I can’t explain it. How can I explain
what’s in my heart?’ he said and his eyes glistened. ‘I don’t want to lose you.’ ‘Can you hear the music?’ Anna asked him, standing up and suppressing the thought of Sean O’Mara and the commitment they were supposed to be making to one another. They both listened to the soft music that reverberated across the square from a club somewhere.
‘77 voglio bene, 1 he murmured, repeating the words of the song.
‘What does that mean?’ she asked as he took her in his arms and started to dance with her
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