I
THE ONE
It was an unusually rainy morning that marked the end of autumn. There, inside the friendly café on the corner of a quiet street, Isabella had taken refuge from the storm and stopped for a hot drink. Her umbrella was unable to protect her, and it would have been impossible to continue walking like that.
She entered as quickly as she could through the small glass door, soaking the checkered tiles with the drops that ran down her boots. Her short, brown hair was stuck to her flushed face, as were the clothes on her body. The young woman was unsure whether it was appropriate to enter the establishment like that, but she really needed some shelter.
“Oh, no,” the lady who emerged from behind the counter exclaimed.
She adjusted her thick glasses and put her hands on her hips, shocked by the image in front of her.
“I'll get you a towel, dear. Wait a minute.” Entering the kitchen door, she shook her right hand, ordering the customer not to move a finger.
Isabella stood still, feeling her body shivering from the cold. She hoped that at least the notebook inside her bag had been preserved, but she would need to dry off a bit before checking.
“There, there,” the lady said gently as she wrapped the towel around Isabella. “Now you come here and take a seat, please.”
As she followed the nice lady without being able to say a word due to her extremely trembling lips, she nodded and sat down on one of the high wooden stools.
“I—I would like a hot chocolate, please.” Drying her hands on the towel, she slid one of them into her bag and pulled out the notebook and a pen. They were intact.
“I’ll prepare it right away,” she kindly replied.
The sweet aroma of freshly baked cake filled the entire room, and it was impossible not to smile when she smelled it. That was the best part of discovering the neighborhood coffee shops. In addition to being cozy, everything seemed to be prepared with great care.
Isabella looked at that damn list for the thousandth time. Wedding planner, venue, catering, drinks, music, lighting, invitations, dress, rings. The nightmare seemed to have no end. As if Bruno’s sudden announcement that he no longer wanted to get married wasn’t enough, now they would have to deal with all the bureaucracy of canceling it all. At that moment, the only communication between the two was to say what had already been resolved, since the contracts were in both of their names. She anxiously awaited a response from the catering company about the possible fine, while he sorted things out with the church.
During their four-year relationship, things seemed to flow naturally. It took just a few dates for him to start calling her his girlfriend, and after another year, Bruno and Isabella were looking for an apartment to rent. The engagement ring was a surprise during a weekend at the beach, and all their friends and family celebrated with great joy when they saw the photos on social media.
“Where did we go wrong?” she asked herself as she crossed off the item ‘dress’ from the list. “When did we stop loving each other?”
The answer was simple: when they became too comfortable. The couple’s relationship wore out over time, but instead of trying to rekindle the flame of passion, they simply allowed their love to become a great friendship. As much as Isabella was prepared to settle for a marriage like that, Bruno saw no reason to continue insisting. She only wished he had thought of it a few months earlier.
“Here's something to make your warm, my dear.” The lady’s slightly wrinkled hands delicately placed the cup in front of her. “It’s hot, be careful.”
“Thank you,” her thin lips formed a smile before she blew out the rising smoke. The warmth of the room and the drink made her skin lose its cold, pale appearance, gradually regaining its tanned complexion.
The ex-fiancée stared at the ring with the small, shiny stone, wondering whether or not to return it. While it seemed rude to do so, wasn’t it impolite to keep it?
“It’s a beautiful ring,” the café owner complimented. “Congratulations on your wedding.”
“Oh,” she smiled shyly and hid her hand between her thighs. “I’m not getting married. Not anymore.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, covering her mouth.
“There’s nothing to be sorry for, it’s okay. It’s just—we weren’t right for each other, that’s all.” She pouted and shrugged. “The worst part is what’s happening now. Telling the guests, canceling everything. It’s pure hell.”
It wasn’t Isabella’s habit to open up about her personal life to strangers, but she wanted to avoid receiving pitying looks from her guests as much as possible. To them, she would tell the short version. If she was going to talk about this in a raw and honest way, it would be better if it happened to someone who would probably never see her again.
“Poor thing.” She glanced discreetly at her notebook and saw the items crossed off the list. Last, in big red letters, was written ‘honeymoon’.
“I’d be less stressed if it wasn’t less than a month away,” she muttered, resting her forehead on her hand. “I don’t know what to do about the trip.”
“I imagine everything was already arranged.”
“And it would be amazing. We both have our own businesses and can afford to take longer vacations, so we planned this extra romantic trip to Italy.” The girl’s eyes lit up as she talked about it. “Rome, Florence, Venice, the Amalfi Coast. What a waste.”
“And it’s not worth canceling, I assume.”
“Since it’s so short notice, it would basically be throwing money out the window. I asked my ex-fiancé if he’d be willing to just go on the same flight with me and part ways once we got to the airport, but he said no.”
“Hm,” the lady made a confused face. “And why don’t you go?”
“All by myself?” A line appeared between her eyebrows. “On my honeymoon?”
“And why not?” She smiled. “Like you said, it’s not worth canceling.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Think of everything you’ll enjoy. Culture, art, food, wine.” The nice lady raised an eyebrow and shrugged jokingly. “Boys, maybe.”
“I don’t know,” she smiled sheepishly and shook her head. “As lukewarm as my relationship have been for a long time, I’m not sure I’m ready to meet other people.”
“Regardless, there’s still a lot to do. It would be foolish to miss an opportunity like this.”
“It’s just that I always include him in my plans, you know?” Her hands rested on the hot cup to keep them warm. “I was sure he was ‘the one’.”
The lady’s sarcastic laugh took Isabella by surprise. She didn’t even try to hide it when she rolled her eyes at those words.
“What is it?” She stared, squinting her eyes.
“I don’t believe there is such a thing as ‘the one’. It’s an outdated concept. I’m amazed at how many people spend their entire lives desperately searching for it.”
“So you don’t believe in love?” The young woman frowned.
“Of course I do. What I don’t believe in is looking for someone who meets all the requirements on a list.” The lines on her face became more evident with her tense expression. “Think about your ex-fiancé. What made you see him as the ideal partner?”
“Hm,” Isabella murmured as she took a long sip. “He’s kind, intelligent, caring. We have many interests in common, and we share the same values. He works very hard in everything he does. He’s an admirable person, really. And physically speaking, he’s very attractive.”
“In theory, the perfect man for you. Right?” The corners of her mouth slowly lifted, forming a slight smile. “Was that enough?”
“No,” she replied as she wiped the chocolate that had fallen on her chin.
Bruno seemed to have come straight out of Isabella’s dreams. He was exactly what she was looking for, and he really did meet all the requirements on the list. Although everything seemed perfect on paper, the relationship wore out faster than they could have imagined. The deep conversations that lasted for hours turned into short and mechanical dialogues, the moments of enjoying each other’s company were no longer as exciting as staring at their phone screens, and intimacy seemed like a task that neither of them wanted to fulfill. The ex-fiancée could no longer even remember when the last time they had kissed had been. If you asked them, they would both say that nothing serious had happened. It was the small details that caused their love to slowly die.
“It’s obvious that we all have preferences, but a relationship will hardly work if you’re looking for a concept. Do you know what I mean?”
“I do. I confess that I’ve deprived myself of some experiences because of this.” Isabella rolled her eyes as she took another sip. “My endless search for the perfect man.”
“My husband probably wouldn’t fit on my list, but he had so many other qualities that I never thought of. We had our ups and downs, but I loved him until his last day.” She placed her hands on her chest and took a deep breath. “We were happy for almost 50 years.”
“That’s amazing,” the young woman said, smiling broadly. “I hope to experience something like that.”
“I recognize that it’s not something easy to find, but give it time. It sounds cliché to say this, but things happen when we least expect it.”
“Like finding love during my honeymoon?” She gave a sarcastic laugh and raised an eyebrow. What a ridiculous idea. Of course not.
“Your heart and mind already have a lot to process right now, young lady.”
“But you mentioned boys, didn’t you?”
“But not like that.” She patted Isabella’s hand lightly and laughed softly. “Think about all the experiences you’ve missed in life while you were looking for a product. You can start living them now.”
“One-night stands and flings then,” she pouted and shook her head. “Doesn’t that sound scary to you?”
“Why would it be scary?”
“Hm,” she grumbled and shrugged. “Getting involved knowing there’s an expiration date.”
“Once again talking about people as if they were products, huh?” Her tone was playful, but Isabella knew it was a subtle scolding too. “I believe good things aren’t necessarily permanent.”
“But you’ve been in a solid relationship for decades, haven’t you?” She licked the remaining drops of chocolate from her lips after taking the last sip.
“I’m almost 80, my dear. Do the math.” The old lady blinked as she picked up Isabella’s empty mug. “I grew up in a time where being —” She paused, trying to think of a less offensive word than they usually used back in the day. “Being and experienced woman was heavily frowned upon. Hell, it's still not that simple nowadays, is it? But still, I don't regret a thing. I lived life to the fullest and would do it all the same if I could choose.”
“I have no counterarguments in that case,” she laughed and shook her head. “I believe in the voice of experience.”
“Young lady, what’s your name?”
“Isabella,” she replied, placing the hand with the ring on her chest.
“Isabella, do whatever you want to do. No strings attached, no judgments, no obligations. Hmm?” She raised her eyebrows and nodded. “Enjoy someone’s company or your own, it doesn’t matter. Just let yourself go. You can be sure it will be an unforgettable trip.”
The young woman smiled and bit her lower lip, giving a light laugh to the lady. A lifetime of meticulously planning every step hadn’t really worked out as well as she imagined. This would be a chance to do things differently, and she seemed willing to try.
“You’re very convincing, you know that?” She wrinkled her nose playfully.
“I have to be, I’m a businesswoman.” She winked at Isabella.
“What’s your name? I forgot to ask.”
“Anna.”
“Well, Anna,” Isabella drummed her fingers on the counter. “Let’s make a deal right now: I promise I’ll come back here and tell you all about my indefinite hiatus from finding Mr. Right.”
“I’ll look forward to it.” The wide smile once again showed her wrinkles. “Have fun with the wrong ones in the meantime.”
“I will.”
