We started seeing each other regularly, in secret of course. Lotario was afraid my father might not approve because of our age difference. He wanted to wait before telling him. I agreed. I would have agreed to anything—I was so naive, or maybe just stupid. Definitely blinded by all the attention he was showering on me. Expensive jewelry. Beautiful flower arrangements every time we saw each other. I was sad I had to throw them away as soon as I could because of my pollen allergy. I mentioned it to Lotario, but he insisted that I should be surrounded by pretty things. And then, there were extravagant dinners and his sweet compliments that had me enthralled, especially since I knew I wasn’t really a beauty. My looks are rather ordinary. At best, I guess I might have a bit of a “girl next door
