The office to my new Spanish bank, Caja Sur, was in the big town/small city of San Pedro de Alcántara. As is typical of me, I had promptly forgotten my new PIN and so my bank card was useless. So, one Monday morning, I made my way to the bank, promptly at 10:00, the opening time. Yes, "bankers hours" in Spain are even worse than in the US. However, in a stroke of luck, there were no other patrons and my business was concluded promptly.
Although my daughter lived in the area and I had spent a year living in the nearby city of Marbella, I had not spent much time in San Pedro and decided to wander about and see the place. The old town was small with a pedestrian street and some nice shops but was largely deserted. So, I continued to wander, ultimately finding the main street into the town from the motorway. The traffic was light and the sidewalks tree-lined. This appeared to be the heart of the city with lots of locals sitting in the many cafes and strolling the sidewalks.
I had my laptop in a backpack and was writing a scientific paper on lung disease. So, I decided to sit and do some work. I selected a small, spartan, but clean café. It was only inhabited by locals and I sat at a table on the outdoor terrace by the street, ordering my usual, a café con leche.
The terrace was pleasantly shaded by several large trees and I chose a seat with my back to the café wall, facing the remainder of the terrace and the street. In the corner to my left was a gaggle of older Spanish women, aging from about 60 to 80. They were clucking in rapid fire Spanish.
I booted up my laptop and began working. My coffee arrived shortly after, just the way l like it, strong but not bitter with an equal measure of steamed milk. So, I wrote and sipped coffee in the muted light of the shade trees. The temperature was perfect for shorts and a light shirt and the low hum of voices was white noise allowing me to concentrate effectively.
After about 30 minutes of working, a good-looking woman in a beige form fitting dress sat down at the table in front of me. She bustled about, drawing papers from her bag and arranging them on the table in front of her. She began reviewing documents when the waiter came and took her order for a coffee.
I continued to type at my laptop on the characteristics of lymphangioleiomyomatosis and Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome, periodically looking up to see her equally engrossed in her task. We were two people in parallel universes with occasional glimpses into each other's world.
I was getting a lot of substantive material written and so was often somewhat oblivious to my surroundings when I heard jostling at the next table. I looked up to see the woman packing her papers back into the large shoulder bag that she had brought them in. It appeared as though she were preparing to leave when our eyes met for the first time that morning.
She took the glance as an invitation and stepped toward my table, asking, "I join you? It OK?"
I smiled, saying, "Sure."
She returned the smile and gripping her bag to her chest, responded, "My name is Barbara. How are you called?"
"Sam," and I stood to shake hands with her.
Barbara retrieved the adjacent chair and we sat facing each other across a corner of the square checkered table.
"I see you sitting there and not see you here before and think you no look Spanish. You are British?"
"No", I replied, "American. How about you. Do you live in San Pedro?"
"No, no. I live in Madrid. I visit with my son. I take my vacātiō in Marbella."
"Well, this is certainly a nice place to have a vacation."
"Si, Si, I I really like to visit here. I especially like to have my coffee here in San Pedro ... No? It is much quieter and more pleasant here than in Marbella."
"Yes, this is a very pleasant place to sit and watch the world go by."
"Si, Si. How you say it, 'Watch the world go by'! Yes, it is pleasant and calm here. It has a beautiful, slow rhythm."
"Yes, I agree. This is my first time, sitting in a café in San Pedro. It is really pleasant, isn't it."
Throughout our conversation, Barbara had remained very attentive and energetic, leaning in, in a close intimate way. She went on to say, "What is it you type into your computer? Me, I am a music teacher and was correcting some of my students work."
I replied, "Me, I am a doctor, a lung specialist and I am writing a scientific paper."
Barbara's eyes lit up, "Oh! A doctor! Very important!" and then smiled at me, leaning even closer.
"Oh, maybe not so important, but I enjoy what I do. So, what kind of music do you teach?"
"Mostly I teach piano. I am also an English tutor in Madrid", she said, "you like I give you some Spanish lessons?"
"Yes, that would be nice" I replied and continued, "I really like you, Barbara!"
"Yes, I like you too!" She interjected.
"I think we can have some fun together, you can teach me about Spain and Spanish and I can give you some lessons in English! Shall we have some fun together?"
"Si, si! Let us learn from each other!"
As she spoke this, I lightly stoked her thigh just below the hem of her dress and could see her shiver slightly with repressed excitement and thought, "She wants you!"
Barbara fumbled with her bag, saying "I give you my number! You know WatsApp? You contact me!" She found a small pencil an began to write on the back of a music score. "Iya! I am so nervous I forget my number! Oh, oh, I know, I call my friend!" And she proceeded to excitedly work at the small screen of her phone. I watched in amusement as she raised it to her ear and began talking in rapid Spanish.
"I have it!" she said triumphantly and proceeded to scribble it rapidly on the paper before her, rip a small piece off containing the number and passing it to me.
"You contact me! Can you meet here tomorrow? I give you a Spanish lesson!"
"No, sorry! Tomorrow is not good for me, how about Wednesday" and repeated it in Spanish "Mercholes?"
"Si , si , Wednesday is fine. What time?"
"10 o'clock?"
"No, no, 10 is too early. 11 o'clock?"
"11 is good for me," I replied and smiled at her, leaning closer to stroke her left arm"
She shivered at the touch, drawing closer and smiling replied, "Good, I see you on Wednesday! So why are you here in San Pedro?
"Well, we have an apartment here to visit our daughter and her family. She and her husband run a Bed and Breakfast here. But my wife and I leave for Africa in three weeks..."
"You have a wife!"
"Yes, I thought you saw my ring," raising my left hand and continuing, "So this will have to be our little secret."
She paused for a moment and then gave me a wicked smile, making the motion for zipping her mouth closed. She then responded, "Of course, I have a man too, back in Madrid. This will be our secret!" and she reached out, touching my forearm.
We chatted briefly and she began to gather her things. And said "Well, time for me to go."
I found myself in a fay mood. I had never acted in this way before but somehow, there was this magnetic attraction to this stranger I had just met. I felt a sexual energy that had been lacking in my life for so long. Something, I didn't want to stop. So, I called for the bill in the little Spanish I had, "La quenta por favor." And turning to Barbara said, "Let me walk you to your car."
As she waited, I stowed my laptop in its' sleeve and then into the backpack and said, "Is your car far?"
She replied nervously, "No, just a small way up the road."