Back Story Post 12 July 21

Frank asked me if I would like to see the ports with him away from the crowd and the guided tours. He had been to these ports before and would get a taxi and show me parts of the cities that the rest of the passengers would not see. I am not one for crowds and tours so this sounded like fun to me. In every stop we had one adventure after another. In Portugal we stumbled into a local restaurant for lunch. Frank asked the local business men if the cod was fresh. Before we knew it they were ordering for us and started sharing their wine with us. In broken English we all laughed and enjoyed a lunch of fresh cod and good Portugal wine. In Gibraltar Frank and I climbed to the top of the Rock of Gibraltar and looked out across the Mediterranean to Morocco. The next day we were in Morocco where Frank hired a driver. He took me to a rug store where we haggled and drank mint tea. I bought a beautiful old rug that I still have and love to this day.


Every night we would have dinner and then go dancing. Frank was an excellent dancer. He made me laugh. He held my hand and gave me sweet hugs and soft kisses on the forehead but never asked me for more. He was very satisfied to have my company. We had so much fun and well we did grow to love each other. We became an item on the ship as we spent the rest of the cruise together.

Three nights before the cruise was to end Frank told me over dinner that he wanted to ask me something. He told me that he was alone with no ex-wife or children. He had a few good friends but no one to leave his money. He was worth about 10 million – give or take depending upon the stock market. He asked me to be his companion. He said he had a condo in Fort Lauderdale with a private room and bath for me. But first he needed to tell me something. He asked me how old I was. I told him I was 47 and then he dropped a bomb shell. He was 86!

I did love Frank but not tin the romantic way that I had dreamed. I was in search of the second love of my life. Frank was an old man who wanted a companion. He wanted me to give up my life in California and move in with him and take care of him. He wanted a pretty young woman by his side and nothing more. Frank was in great shape for 86 and I knew he would easily live another 10 years. I tossed the proposition around in my head. To give up the next ten years of my life to take care of an old man – all be it I did really care for Frank and I loved him in the way you love a old friend but it meant giving up the last end of my youth and the prospects of finding a man closer to my age that I could grow old with.

In three days we would land in Barcelona where I would depart and head back to Los Angeles. Frank would continue on to Greece. I had work commitments, my children and my future to think about. Frank did not push me for an answer but said he would call me. He told me that I was young and beautiful and deserved to find a man close to my own age but if I wanted to be taken care of he would do it. He also said if that if I found another man, he understood. In Barcelona we hugged good bye as tears rolled down both of our cheeks. I boarded the bus that would take me to the airport. I missed Frank but somehow knew I would never see him again.

Frank called me from Greece.

Doctor Lynn
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