Her exit was so abrupt that it didn’t register with me right away. I was still waiting for her to hang around and argue her point until the sun went down, but she didn’t. At first, I felt this big relief in her absence. Then, all of a sudden, I became paranoid.

What if she actually marries this asshole? What would I do then? I asked myself. Nah, she wouldn’t do that. She’ll come to her senses. Marrying that guy would be crazy. And I went back to enjoying my perfect view of the ocean. It may have been a boring life to some, but I liked keeping things simple. Peace, quiet, and independence was what I liked…I just didn’t know what I had just lost.

Still Strokin’

IDIDN’T EXPECT ANDREA to fly back to the States just like that. I figured we would at least have another night or two in Mexico to mull things over. But she surprised me and broke camp immediately. What could I do at that point? I wasn’t gonna call her back and beg her to stay. That was probably what she wanted me to do. Me calling her back would have been her dream story. I just wasn’t her dream maker.

So I went on my merry way with my modeling career and didn’t hear a peep from the girl for a couple of weeks. I even called to check up on her a few times with no response. I didn’t sweat it though. She was known to disappear on me for weeks at a time before she would resurface with an abundance of energy. I had gotten used to that, and it served me well. I liked having my little space, too. But once the weeks turned into months, and the months turned into a half a year without me seeing or hearing from her, I began to lose hope of her ever returning.

After more than a year with no word from her, I finally wiped my hands with the girl. I told myself, Well, I guess she went ahead and married the guy.

I figured he had told her never to contact me or talk to me again as a part of his deal with her. The devil usually negotiated for your soul, and more than just your mind and body. I assumed he wanted her total loyalty, nothing less. I didn’t even hear about her in my modeling circles anymore.

I admit, I had little spells of thinking about the girl that got to me. But when I realized that it was over, it didn’t bother me as much as I thought it might have. I always had women around me anyway. I was still in the prime of my career, so I was pretty busy with new jobs to keep my mind moving forward, never backward.

SEVERAL YEARS LATER, I was still happily single and living real swell with a penthouse in the heart of Atlanta’s Peachtree Street. I had three national ad campaigns: Johnson’s International Furs, Class-A Jewelry, and M. O. Clothing. Things were smelling real good all over me. I even went out and bought one of those Mercedes CL coupes; a silver one, with the AMG horsepower package. I had no reason to complain in life.