With the Wind: A Mediterranean Romance Across Time

Rodrigo looked at the postcard on his desk and ran his fingers over the picture. The girl in the picture was clearly Marina, but she was younger, her hair was longer and her smile more reckless. It had been twenty years since they had seen each other and he didn’t know if he would recognize her. ‘I will find her again’ Rodrigo thought as he put the card back into its box.

Marina had left Venezuela after finishing high school to study in Spain. She had lived in Valencia for more than a decade before she met Rodrigo. He remembered that first night very well, it was a warm summer day and he went with some friends to the beach. They were sitting on some rocks near the water when Marina walked past them towards the water; she was so beautiful that Rodrigo couldn’t tear his eyes away from her. Two hours later Rodrigo noticed that Marina was looking at him too, they both smiled at each other and then suddenly Rodrigo jumped up from his rock and ran towards her, she stopped walking and looked up at him, Rodrigo couldn’t remember what he said to her but he knew that she smiled at him. A few hours later they were lying on the sand watching a full moon rise over the horizon, they talked about everything and nothing until they noticed that it was getting dark. At the end of their conversation Rodrigo asked Marina if she would have dinner with him one day, her smile told him all he needed to know.

Days passed by while Rodrigo wondered what time they could meet in Valencia; eventually Ricardo told him that Marina’s parents were going out of town and offered to invite them over to eat together. Ricardo invited some friends too; Rodrigo arrived early and waited outside their apartment building for Marina to arrive with her parents. A few minutes later they arrived; Marina exited the car first, Rodrigo saw how she looked older than seventeen, slightly taller than average with long dark hair flowing behind her as she walked towards him. The two families spent an enjoyable evening together before Marina had to return to Valencia with her parents; it took all of Rodrigo's willpower not to ask for her phone number or address. Instead he asked for her name and where she lived in Valencia; she told him that she lived near a big park in the centre of Valencia called El Saler and gave him directions to get there from Ricardo’s house.

The next day, after work, Rodrigo went directly to El Saler from his home in Fuente de Piedra and searched for Marina’s apartment until he found it. He knocked on the door but no one answered; he decided not to leave without seeing Marina so he waited until dusk hoping that someone would come home soon enough so he could ask them if Marina was around somewhere else. When people started leaving their homes for dinner a woman opened Marina's door; when she saw Rodrigo standing there a look of surprise spread across her face but then changed into a warm smile. Rodrigo went up to see who this woman could be and asked: “Do you know if Marina is here?” The woman said that Marina wasn't home yet but invited him inside so they could wait together for her arrival because it was still going to take quite some time until dinner time arrived; Rodrigo said thank you and entered the apartment thinking: ‘Oh my God! I am in love!'.

When Marina returned home forty minutes later she smiled at Rodrigo but did not say anything before heading upstairs to wash herself up before dinner; as soon as she left the room the woman whispered something into Rodrigo's ear: “You have fallen in love with my daughter haven't you?” Rodrigo nodded yes while blushing deeply, what followed next confused him even more though: "I know how you feel" said the woman "I understand why you fell in love with my daughter" Then looking straight into his eyes she continued: "But I can tell you right now that our families are enemies".