I Wanna Tell You A Story

Part 1

Eleven years ago I was sitting in my chair looking at this email I had minutes before received. No I go to fast.A few days before I had been playing about on the net and came across this website asking if I wanted to find a friend, sort of a pen pal I thought. Ok for a laugh I filled out the form not too truthfully as you do, and sent it off. I was amazed that anybody bothered to answer I got about six or so replys. A quick glance through them showed nothing of interest, putting it out of my mind I carried on as usual. Some few day later I took another look,there were two emails the first was the same as the others, women looking for rich husbands well that was my impression. The second just leapt off the screen at me,and thats how I came to be sitting in my chair looking at the email. It was written in a sort of broken English and came from a lady in Odessa Ukraine, (I thought where the hell is Ukraine was it a cold blasted semi barren place up north of Russia somewhere,) honestly I had no idea.She wrote a little about herself telling me she was fifty four years old a widow with two adult girls and th

ree grandsons. Her name was Yevgeniya she was looking to find someone to write to so that she could improve her almost non existent English.

Attached was a picture of the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.

Always a sucker for a pretty face I thought strewth I have to reply. So a clean shirt and tie, haircut and shave later I had a new photo taken and attached to my next email. Yevgeniya must not have been to put off by the sight,the next day her reply thanked me for the picture.

Up to this point we had been sending the emails through a third party this was to protect our privacy,we both agreed to send each other our addresses and even phone numbers to speed up the turn round processes. From then on it was a question of sending emails more frequently initially couple of times a week but after while it became every day. At first I could not understand why her replies took so long, the answer was simple every word had to be translated from English to Russian and then writing to me in Russian before translation to English a complicated process and not without it's humour, one letter was talking about having visitors that evening, Yevgeniya was saying that she had been busy all day cooking and and preparing for the event, ”I am very clever girl” she said ”I make a very good mistress”

The more I got to know really about this delightful lady the more fascinated I was by her, for what she done and achieved throughout her life, I soon found myself becoming more and more attracted to her. I had already fallen for her picture and now I was falling in love with the person, to my great fortune I found the feeling was reciprocated we both had very strong feelings for each other almost from day one. Within two months it became apparent that we needed to take this relationship further, we had to meet Jenny was all for coming to the UK to see me, fortunately her family had other ideas and said no, if you are serious about this person he can visit you here, we will give him a holiday and you can get to meet him greet him and get to know him better.

So it was settled, I was to go to Odessa a place I knew not where, to meet a lady I desperately wanted to see. I had no passport I had not been abroad ever, to a country with language I could not understand flying from UK via Vienna how I was going to manage speaking no language other than English I did not know, it was a somewhat terrifying experience,but one I was more than willing to try.

April 7th Nick my driver has bought me to terminal 2 at London Heathrow I am about to fly to Odessa.

Nerves what nerves? I can't find my passport, my tickets are muddled up, I go through screening and forget my hand luggage, check,double check, what gate, where is it? What time does the gate open? How much time do I have? We are boarding where is my seat? 17 18 19 this one I think 19E.Now we are moving then Whoosh!!we are racing down the runway Cor! This not half bad, like racing down the road in my Buggy,only not quite so noisy. 30,000 feet the coffee and breakfast arrives proper knives and forks china plates cups and saucers English breakfast (how things have changed?) we drop into Vienna an hour or so between flights enough time to walk to the immigration gate. In the air again onwards to Yevgeniya more food lunch this time a couple of glasses of red wine, I am calmer excited somewhat apprehensive about the immigration and customs at the airport.There is a form to fill out for the customs, what have I to declare? how much money do I have? how long and where am I staying? ”Oh help!” I was thinking ”what sort of a place am I coming to?”

The plane lands taxis and stops not at a gate but in the middle of the apron, the doors open I make my way out of the aircraft, bloody hell! there's a man with a gun at the bottom of the steps, I try not to catch his eye but cant help it, he glares at me and motions with his gun to move on. The transport to the terminal building is an old very old rickety bus we race off to the door.

The terminal is an old building built in the fifties poor lighting, brown woodwork and paint, austere I should say!! uniformed personnel are everywhere, pretty women, grim looking fellows.

I soon find out that nobody Queues its a mad scramble to get to the desks, no problems there I am soon waiting for my luggage.

At last I am tugging my baggage to the exit, a uniformed guy calls me over to his desk, more questions fired at me in rapid Russian, he soon finds out its a waste of time and calls over a colleague he speaks halting English, ”what have you in your bags?” ”clothes and a few presents” I reply ”how much cash do you have?” ”a few hundred dollars and some travellers cheques” ”why are you here?” I am meeting my girlfriend she is in the arrivals waiting for me.” at last a smile ”ah!” He gestured toward the exit.

Like a startled rabbit I emerge through the door into the hubbub of the arrivals hall, people were jostling shouting offering Taxis, I push my way through the mob, now what? John? The voice behind me is soft, I turn and there she is,good grief I had not expected anyone quite so tall I look up and there is that beautiful smile I have so wanted to see ”Yevgeniya?” ”Da I am she” we have our first of many kisses and hugs, ”I have taxi waiting let's go.”