She was told by Annabelle, that Fabian was a very charming man, and that they would get on
well together.
They met at an office party. It was one of those retirement parties that one feels
obliged to attend. Belinda and Annabelle would be seen as an odd couple to become friends.
Annabelle was very much the socialite who enjoyed organizing business lunches and
conferences while Belinda was the hardworking secretary who saw to the details. They
worked well together.
Fabian was standing by the drinks bar with another man sipping wine, chatting
obviously with the ease of someone who was used to these kinds of events. Annabelle
introduced him to Belinda and he was indeed charming. So easy to talk to and his stories
were interesting and told with humour. Belinda couldn’t believe it when he asked her out on a
date. A lunch in a restaurant, but not too expensive or too chic. This was a relief to Belinda. It
was within her comfort zone, a simple meeting in Costas; a coffee for him and a latte for her.
He was charming, no doubt about that, and he wasn’t pushy. He was polite and held
the door for her, asked if it was okay to accompany her to the bus stop and even waited until
the bus came and she was safely on it. She had never expected him to call and set a time and
place for a date. She was both surprised and delighted. And it basically took off from there.
He was always the gentleman, always gave the impression that he was genuinely interested in
her. At the end of the date, and for the next few dates, he kissed her when they parted but
never hinted at or requested that he ‘come up for coffee’, or expected to be asked to spend the
night. It was never requested or implied. He seemed to be letting her dictate the pace of their
relationship.
He was indeed charming, and a gentleman. But was he too charming? Was she falling
for him? He seemed to be falling for her. She was more or less at the point of wondering if it
was time to bring him home to meet the family. Her sense of him was that he was willing to
meet them. Had things gone to the next level, as they say?
But Annabelle’s description of him as a charming man, for some reason, preyed on
her mind. Was it an innocent, casual, remark, or was there something going on between them.
Was it a trap? It was all too convenient. A young single, shy woman attends a retirement
office party, is introduced to a charming man and suddenly they are dating. Is he laying a trap
for her? On the other hand, was Annabelle sending a warning signal? That in her opinion he
was really a shallow person, that his so-called charm was a mask, a ruse to entrap her?
She decided not to return his calls. Surely that would be a signal that she had lost
interest. After a few attempts he stopped calling. He got the message.
Then, sometime later, while she was having lunch, not in Costas, she no longer went
there, she saw him enter. Was he following her, was he a stalker? He turned, acknowledged
her, gave her a smile and then sat by himself.
Her heart skipped, she still had feelings for him. When he finished, he got up from the
table and came over to her.
“How are you doing?” He asked.
“Fine, thank you.”
He nodded and then left.

Was he being charming, just being polite, even considerate and accepting her decision
not to continue the relationship?
Was Annabelle’s description of him accurate, or a warning?
How was she to know, unless she followed him out of the restaurant and hailed him
and hoped he would turn around, smile? Then she would know whether or not he was
genuine, that he actually loved her? But on the other hand, would his smile be his moment of
triumph, part of his game, playing the charming man to gain a woman’s trust, only to destroy
her, and discard her in triumph?
But she hadn’t returned his calls, nor had he tried to contact her.
That was it then, wasn’t it?
Belinda watched as he crossed the road and passed through the entrance of the railway
station. She finished her lunch and made her way back to the office. Annabelle had given her
a list of clients to contact and arrange a series of meetings for next week.