A crush

Hitchhiking home in the pouring rain on a Friday night, a car with English license plates pulled over. In English, he said he knew me from work, since we worked in the same amusement park. I had not seen him before, but I was cold and I wanted to go home after a lousy day at work. So I got into his car and immediately I felt comfortable and at ease. He started joking and babbling and the conversation was really amusing. The sound of laughter in the car still clatters in my ear.
He asked me where I lived and it was nowhere near where he was headed to. But he decided to take me home anyway. We remained seated in the car for quite a while, before I finally got out. He rolled down the window of his Vauxhall Cavalier and asked me out for a beer. I had to get over to his side of the car - since English cars have their steering wheel on the wrong side - to talk to him. I was puzzled by this mysterious man, so I asked him to join me for a drink in my favorite bar. I didn't have to ask twice. He hopped out of the car and in to my house, so I could take a shower and change outfits before we headed off.

I was truly fascinated by him. What an interesting man. So bubbly and full of life. He had tons of life experience and I'm sure his age had some part in it. He was not old old, but at least 15 years older than this 19 yo at the time. I looked up to him and I was proud that someone his age was interested in talking to this blooming flower. So we went to the bar - just around the corner - and my mates down there were surprised to see me in his company. Hello??? What was I doing? We were used to hanging out with peers and there I was, having a drink and a chat with a man who was quite a bit older than me..

His parents were divorced and his father was expecting a baby with his new wife. Shortly after we met, he introduced me to his family. They were very nice people and very down to earth. He was pretty shy around them, but between the two of us, he would open up and we had a great time together.
I was in college back then - he was an employee in the amusement park where I worked on the weekends and during the holidays. He would take me to places and ask me out to dinner in fancy restaurants. No other boy had ever asked me out to dinner. He was a man and I embraced the attention he paid me. He made me feel special.. He was so different from the "boys" I used to date.

At least 6 months after we dated, he invited me over to his apartment. There was something he needed to tell me. He was nervous and I had never seen him like that. I tried to calm him down and told him that whatever he had to say, was okay. I trusted him and he trusted me. He gave me this photo album of his youth. I saw pictures of him as a baby and more pictures of his teenage years. Playing tennis with friends. Pictures of tennis fields near a mansion. I saw a pool and I saw stables full of beautiful horses. He told me he was not really an "employee" at the amusement park. He told me that, back in England, he drove a fancy car instead of this worn out Vauxhall Cavalier. The reason why one day I had run into his dad at the amusement park, was that his dad was responsible for all of the roller coasters and rides over there. He was a wealthy businessman and his son was to follow in his footsteps. He told me he came from a family of billionaires. I was shocked. I was upset. Why did he keep this a secret for six months? Why did he dress in worn out jeans and crappy T-shirts if he were a billionaire??? Why had he not been honest with me?

Experience, he said. Too many women fell in love with him for the wrong reasons. Back in England, they knew his background and they were in love with the money, not the man. He decided to do things differently in Belgium. He wanted to have a good time and date people who didn't know about the dough. I had no idea, absolutely no idea he was this rich.. But I felt betrayed. I needed some time to think things over.. He was running out of time in Belgium. His dad and stepmom had already returned to England and they needed him over there. He asked me to join him. I could work as a nanny for his new baby sister, if I needed a job. That was kind of awkward to me. He was full of life and I was really happy I met him. But I realized our worlds were too far apart. He was too old for me. I was only a college student. He was a billionaire..