Encounter
Your
Destiny
A True International Romance Tour
Love Story
By David O’Dell
Published in eBook format by eBookIt.com
Copyright @ 2012 David O’Dell,
All rights reserved
ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-0981-8
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
Dedicate to Cristina, with love
You understand these words in all its meanings – physical, emotional and intellectual. The fusion of your souls is as natural as a drop of rain dissolving in the ocean.
When a woman with unique love synergy is somewhere around you but you do not see her, you can feel the light coming from her aura.
Then your eyes meet she does not say anything just comes closer, then you make a step towards her, taking her hand and then together make your way through the world of materialized dreams.
A gaze speaks volumes of poetry, and intuition replaces reason.
Your magical bond is immune to everything.
The communication between you is saturated with hearing and comprehension, deep solidarity and confidence.
This could be said also about the intimacy in which the depth of your sexual experience and the joy of ecstasy are without a rival.
The heavens foretell a beautiful love and happy marriage.
***
Author’s Note
The author has changed the names of some individuals and modified identifying features of other individuals, organizations, and some places in order to preserve their anonymity. The goal in all cases was to protect people’s privacy without damaging the integrity of this true story.
Preface
I was inspired to write this account of our love story to let others know there are alternative ways to meet sincere ladies. With global communication one does not have to limit themselves to their city or country to find their life partner.
As you all know, it is not easy finding a woman in the United States. I tried the Internet dating sites with no luck because the women were either different from their profile or the lady was nice but there was no chemistry between us.
So I decided to broaden my horizons and started looking for a woman internationally, thinking it would give me a better opportunity to find that elusive chemistry. Plus, I liked the idea of meeting as many ladies as I possibly could.
My hope was to find a woman that I connected with and then continue the relationship after I finished my romance tour vacation. And maybe the relationship would grow into something special and long lasting. The worst case scenario would be that I enjoyed a good vacation, meet and date some beautiful Latin women, learn more about their culture, and have a beautiful personal tour guide as my escort.
Not in my wildest dreams did I expect to meet Cristina and fall so hard for someone so fast. But she is a very special woman and I am so lucky to have found her. Without taking that next step and getting out of my comfort zone I would have never found my true love.
Acknowledgements
I would like to acknowledge and extend my heartfelt gratitude to the following persons who have made this book possible.
To my wife Cristina: for being so patient with my late nights and so supportive of me in writing this book. Cristina is the love of my life and without her there is no story to write.
I also need to give special thanks to Lisa Ling, the host of Our America with Lisa Ling. I could not imagine a better person to report on our story. Lisa is a true professional and genuine woman. I am very lucky to have met and gotten to know such a special lady.
I also need to thank Darcy Dennett, the producer of the show. It was a pleasure to work with someone who is so kind, considerate and so respectful of my space while filming the show. I want to thank the entire production crew who were fantastic. They became family to me.
And then comes Yami, the office manager in Barranquilla, for her and her staff’s excellent service and support. Yami was fantastic on the tour. She gave us personal attention and was vigilant in her efforts to insure our comfort. She was helpful in answering any questions we had. She truly wants men and women to be successful in finding their life partner.
Chapter One
Single Man in Houston, Texas
I didn’t know this would be a love story. After all, I’m no one special. I’m not complex. I’m not Prince Charming. I’m just an average middle-class guy with brown hair, boy-next-door looks and height, who lives in a traditional 3-bedroom, brick, ranch style home in the suburbs of Houston, Texas. I’m just a guy who goes to work, watches the paint dry on the walls, comes home, takes a hot shower, microwaves a TV dinner, watches a little TV, mows the lawn if it needs it, runs the vacuum over the floor because I like to keep things neat, then goes to bed. I get up the next day, put on my shoes and khakis, and do the same things all over again. My shirts vary, my lunches vary, but pretty much, it’s all the same. I don’t have a glamorous job or salary. I work as a project coordinator and designer for a civil engineering company and most of the time, it’s dull and boring. No excitement there. As I said, I’m your average guy who goes to work every day to earn a buck and pay the bills. My life is uneventful in the most (yawn!) ordinary sense.
When a person repeats the same thing over and over again, several things can happen. One, that person becomes stagnated, gets stuck in a rut, and continues to repeat the same thing over and over again. Two, that person turns to food, drugs and/or alcohol to try to numb the pain of boredom; and third, that person does something to change because he/she can no longer stand the monotony of the sameness every day.
I wanted change. I was contented with my life and routine, and I was at peace, but I wasn’t fulfilled. I knew that I wasn’t living my life with purpose or passion. With verve. With excitement. I was just drifting by like so many other poor souls who have accepted that their dull existence is all there is and have agreed with the universe to just “get by.” And, I admit it. I was lonely. Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t need a woman to complete my life, but I knew it would be nice to have someone to love who loved me in return. It would be a big bonus in my life. After all, watching reruns of “Criminal Minds” on Friday nights is not exactly my idea of living the good life. But, here’s the quandary. How does a single, 49 year old guy meet a woman to date, let alone love? I had long ago outgrown the bar scene and had no desire to try to find a woman that way. And, friends were no help. They didn’t know any available women to set me up with. What’s a guy to do?
In October, 2009, one sleepy, rainy Saturday afternoon, after watching Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn together in a screwball romantic comedy movie on television, I decided to join the millions of others who had found love online. Sitting on my sofa, I took a sip of my Coke and opened up my laptop and clicked on Match.com. It looked simple enough. To me, online dating was the new 21st century “bar scene.” I had heard stories of others who met their significant other this way, and I decided to give it a shot. I perused the photos of the thousands of women online who were looking for relationships. It dawned on me how lonely people were. Both men