How I became a Successful Business Woman from being Unsuccessful in Love...

Chapter 10

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to London Heathrow Airport. Please keep your seat belts fastened until the aircraft reaches a standstill.

I kept my eyes fixed on the photo of my grandfather with the entire family. It's been a few days, and we have to travel to my grandfather's hometown to perform at the final reception. Instead of flying along with my family in one of our private planes, I caught a commercial flight as it would give me the space from everyone that I desperately seek. I can't come to this place without feeling something. Bibury is my grandfather's hometown in Cotswolds, UK, a short drive from Cirencester. This is the place where it all happened. This is the place where I first met Enrique. I wasn't ready to look outside the aircraft window just yet—too many memories.

"You can let go of the seat now. We have landed." The woman seated next to Reanna touched her hand gently. Reanna slowly turned her head to look at her. "Nervous flyer? You've been gripping that seat since we took off from JFK. We have now landed. It's over. " She leaned over and craned her neck to see out the window. "Just look at that blue sky. It's my first time here. And you?"

"No, it's not my first time. I spent most of my life here." I replied.

The woman eyed the photograph I was holding. "And this time?"

"I am here to attend my grandfather's funeral," I said.

"Oh, I am sorry to hear that," she said, "family is always very important."

I put the photograph back in my purse and said, "You have been so kind. If you will excuse me, I have to go." I said.

"Oh no, dear, you can't leave your seat yet. Didn't you hear the announcement? There's someone important on the plane. Some sort of VIP or other, apparently, they have to leave before the rest of us." Peering past Reanna out of the window, the woman gave an excited gasp, "Oh, just look at that. Three cars with blacked-out windows have just pulled up. And those men appear to be bodyguards. And you have to look, dear. It's like something out of a movie. The most gorgeous man you've ever seen just stepped onto the tarmac. He's got to be at least six feet and breathtaking to look at!"

No, I wasn't expecting anyone. To avoid an unwanted reception committee, I told no one which flight I would be on. It has to be for somebody else. For a flicker of a second, I thought, could it be him? Could it be possible that Enrique read about my grandfather's demise in the newspapers and finally came to pay his last respects? He stays in the UK, and it was not possible that he hadn't heard the news. All these 19 years, he said he loved me ... maybe for our love ...

What was I thinking? Don't you know what kind of person he is? Why am I even thinking about him? Do I want to disgrace my grandfather's memory with his presence? Don't you remember what all he did to you? It can't be Enrique. He never had this kind of power, money, or even the character to go with it. He always had that laid-back attitude towards life and everything that goes along with it. Moral ethics were there only to show me, but in reality, it was all shallow. He portrayed himself as an easy-going, charming, and romantic person I had fallen for, but I never realised those traits were part of a façade to hide his weaknesses. He showed me everything that I wanted to see... I was in love with the idea of love, and I thought love would get us through life in a fun-filled way. I started to think like him that life is all about love and fantasies without responsibilities and duties. But love meant physical desires for him, and any woman could replace me. Because desires cannot distinguish between emotions and people, it's a need that only wants to be fulfilled. But with him, I forgot that more than love, there are other qualities you need in a husband. Qualities that a wife would respect in a husband... A lady would respect a gentleman... a mother would respect her children's father. At that time, nothing mattered to a woman, but she sought a man who would be her partner in every sense of the word. She wants someone with whom she can lead this life happily and securely, keeping her head held high, and she doesn't care if anyone understands her or not, but he does. And they can both carve a life together as partners with similar values and love. They face all the adversities and happiness of life together.