FERNANDO -PARTE 2 (PART 2)

Volví a casa les dije a Charo y Paquita (las hermanas de la pensión) lo que Fernando me había dicho (de estar separado y con tres hijos). Me dijeron que ni se me ocurriera salir con el pues no existía el divorcio y que yo era muy joven ya que solo tenía 21 años y el 38. Les hice caso pues al fin y al cabo tampoco estaba enamorada. Me llamó varias veces y las hermanas siempre le daban largas diciéndole que no estaba. Un dia una amiga mia muy querida de Toronto, Monica Robinson, vino a Madrid con sus tios (el era el presidente del First National City Bank de New York) y se hospedaban en el Ritz. Me invitó todos los dias a comer con ellos. Recuerdo que cada vez que llegaba al hotel, casi,casi me sacaban la alfombra roja diciendo: "La Srta. Pallarés, la amiga de la Srta. Robinson!" No entendía tantas atenciones hasta que un dia en la portada del "ABC" salió la foto del tio de Monica con Franco. Había venido a España a otorgar un préstamo muy importante al régimen... Un domingo me invitaron a los toros. Me emperifollé como siempre y salí de casa. Al voltear la esquina, me tropecé con Fernando!!! Venía a verme porque nunca me ponia al teléfono. Le dije que no podía hablar con el porque estaba de camino a los toros. Entonces me dijo que si yo quería cenar con el esa noche en casa de su hermana, Pilar. Lo pensé unos segundos y me dije: "Porque no, siempre podemos ser amigos". La idea de cenar con su familia me apetecia, le dije que sí. Me fuí a los toros. Vimos a Antonio Bienvenida desde la barrera. Una experiencia inolvidable. Esa noche fui a casa de Pilar. Conocí a su hermano Felipe y a su cuñada Mili. Salimos todos juntos y lo pasé bomba!!! Fernando era, y es, super gracioso. Nunca me había reido tanto en mi vida. Me enamoré perdidamente. Continuará...

I went back home and I told Charo and Paquita (the sisters who ran the lodging house) what Fernando had told me, that he was separated and had three children. They told me to forget him as there was no divorce and that I was very young--(I was 21 and he was 38). I thought, yeah why not, after all I wasn't in love with him. He called several times but the sisters always told him I wasn't in. One day a very dear friend of mine from Canada, Monica Robinson, came to Madrid with her aunt and uncle--he was the president of an important bank of New York at the time. They were staying at the Ritz. Monica invited me nearly every day for lunch. Whenever I arrived at the Ritz, I was surprised to see that they almost took out the red carpet for me saying: "Miss Pallarés is here to see Miss Robinson!". I didn't understand all the fuss until one day I saw the picture of Monica's uncle with Franco in the front page of the "ABC" newspaper. He had come to give a big loan to Franco's regime... One day they invited me to the bullfights. I got all prepped up, went out of the house, and when I turned the corner I bumped into Fernando!!! He was coming to see me because I never got on the phone. I told him I couldn't speak to him at the time because I was in a rush to go to the bullfight. He simply asked me if I wanted to have dinner with him that evening at his sister Pilar's house. In one second, I thought: "OK, it would be nice to meet his family and we could always be friends..." I said yes. That evening I met Pilar and his brother Felipe with his wife Mili. We went out for dinner and we had so much fun! Fernando was the funniest person that I had ever met. I fell in love. It will continue...