CAROLE shuddered. Another atrocious blind date. She wasn’t asking for much. But a man who tried to impress her by burping out the alphabet after a few beers was not on her list of top 10 favourite evenings.
Atrocious indeed. Carole let out a frustrated sigh as she folded away the last of her neatly pressed ironing.
She was a simple woman. Her life revolved around work, her pet goldfish and more work. As the personal assistant to the CEO of a prominent branding company, she was always kept on her feet with little relaxation time.
What was the point of going on date after date when she couldn’t find what she was looking for? What was she looking for?
A man who was gentle and kind. A man she could trust and with whom she could be completely vulnerable. A man who’d love her with and for her faults. A gentleman, she concluded to herself, that’s what I desire, a gentleman.
As a woman in her early 30s, she’d often wondered whether she’d find “the love of her life”. Did the notion actually exist? If it did, that guaranteed her her soulmate, right? Perhaps she’d missed that stage of her life?
Carole laughed and dismissed the thoughts from her mind – how silly she was being.
THE next morning, as she was leaving for her typical work-day, she stopped to admire her neighbour’s abundant rose garden. It was coming into summer and the roses had started to bloom and share their gentle beauty with the world.
Her favourite cherry-red rose bush was on full show, the delicate petals ruffled only slightly by the morning breeze.
Denne historien er fra 18 February 2021-utgaven av YOU South Africa.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra 18 February 2021-utgaven av YOU South Africa.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
HOW TO BE YOUR OWN THERAPIST
With more and more of us struggling with our mental health, here's a common-sense guide to coping with life's ups and downs
SPUD: THE MAGIC CONTINUES
John van de Ruit tells us why he decided to write a sequel - and shares how his first book helped him find enduring love
SEX CONTRACT GONE WRONG
A Cape Town couple have been charged with using a young woman as a sex slave-but some say she lost the job she signed up for and now has a grudge against them
LIAM LAID TO REST
More than a month after One Direction singer LIAM PAYNE (31) tragically fell to his death from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, his loved ones finally got to say their goodbyes.
SHILOH HANGS OUT
THE two young women look like any pair of good friends chatting and laughing as they leave their dance class in Los Angeles.
LEO IN LOVE
He's just turned 50 and it seems Leonardo DiCaprio may finally be ready to settle down
PACKING A PUNCH
Irish actor Paul Mescal beefed up for his role in the blockbuster epic Gladiator II - and fans are loving it
I DIDN'T CHOOSE TO BE A LOVE CHILD
As the illegitimate daughter of the king, she fought to be recognised as part of Belgium's royal family, but Princess Delphine says she still feels unwelcome
'I STILL HAVE NIGHTMARES'
A bite from a spitting cobra 13 years ago nearly killed her but Mikayla survived - and she's made peace with her scars
THE CLAWS ARE OUT!
Things have grown frosty between the Beckhams and the Sussexes as Becks comes out in clear support of William
