17 years ago, in a land unknown to us, two people cross paths and two lives are changed forever. He fell in love, she barely remembers that day. The year is 1990. The place, Guadalajara, Mexico.
A young man on his first business trip stumbles clumsily into a hotel lobby, carrying three large suitcases, a passport, some papers to help him find his way and a map for further assistance. He brazenly approaches the desk and asks for his room key, this alone proves to be a struggle. Even though the clerk speaks English, he is not fluent and it is difficult to understand him. After a frustrating twenty minutes with the attendant (cue pretty girl) a pretty girl appears at the counter beside him. She is fluent in both languages and clears up the mess in a matter of minutes. He stares, lost in her beauty and amazed with her intelligence. Ripped from his trance by the gruff attendant slamming the room key on the counter, he grabs the key and turns to thank the woman, but she is no longer there. Like a ghost in the night, she ran away with his heart. He has been cursed. He thinks about her nonstop all night and into the wee hours of the morning, before giving way to exhaustion and crashing into a slumber.
The next day, he happens to see her. He's sure it's her. Just there, across the plaza. The one in the red dress. She is talking to someone, a man. He's not very tall, but seems to be friend or co-worker. He decides to approach, slowly, carefully. She IS REAL! He knew it! It appears as if she is saying good-bye to the friend. He sees them shake hands and part ways. He nears her and tries to speak, but caught without breath, he fails to even utter a single word. She turns, notices him standing there, staring, and asks if she can help. Still without breath, he tries to speak but only manages a few grunts. Still staring. Still standing, but just barely. She giggles and gently shakes her head, a beautiful smile emerging. It seems like an eternity but he finally manages to stumble over thanking her for yesterday's heroism. She dismisses the act. She does this everyday for tourists, it's nothing new for her. Introductions are made and he finally gets around to talking like a human. She asks him to sit and she orders drinks for them both. He finds out that she is the concierge at the hotel and they enjoy a very long chat over drinks and fresh bread. They cross paths several more times during his stay, but alas, the time has come and he must return to his native land. He searches the hotel to thank her one last time. She is no where to be found. He asks the clerk in the lobby and finds out she has the day off. He leaves, never getting the chance to say good-bye or thank her one last time. He thinks of her constantly over the next several years and finally gets the chance to visit Guadalajara on business again. Same hotel, same grumpy old man at the desk, but she is nowhere.
He searches and asks around during his entire stay but never sees her again. He has spent many years of his life searching for her and 17 years later, he adds his own graffiti to a random wall, he scrawls this note, "I'd give up everything just to find you."
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