Bermuda – A Painting Made With Love
This is a story about one of my most treasured paintings, Bermuda.
In 1989, my sister-in-law and I went to Bermuda for a vacation to explore the island and relax. One gorgeous day during our trip, we decided to go to a restaurant to have dinner. I didn’t realize how this trip would change my life forever.
The Restaurant
It started pouring on our way to the restaurant I wanted to try. When we arrived, the kitchen staff and the chefs were having lunch. I glazed to the chef, and he smiled at me, and I smiled back at him. Then, the maître d’ came up to inform us that no more room was available, and we didn’t have any reservations. The opening will be at 5 o’clock.
The chef heard about our discussion and said they could accommodate us earlier. So we went into the powder room to freshen up a little bit and presented ourselves in the dining room.
There was still no guest in the dining room, and the maître d’ came and asked for our orders. First, I asked for their special, which was the trout. So I asked for something simple with a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, parsley, and a wedge of lemon. Then my sister-in-law ordered something on her own.
When our food came, the fish was swimming in sauce – with oil and butter everywhere. I looked at it and thought twice about eating it, so I looked at the maître d’ and told him that it was not what I had ordered. I told him I wanted something simple and light, with no butter.
A few minutes later, the fish came back, but there was still butter and some cream sauce. It was not what I ordered. I looked at him and said,
“Please, I’m not trying to be a pain, but this is not what I ordered.” The maître d’ looked at me and said I’m sorry, Madame, I will go back and tell the chef.
The third time it came out, it was a lot better. There was no sauce, just salt, pepper, and butter. I looked at him and said, “Can you please not put the butter? I asked for olive oil only.” The maître d’ got so frustrated and went back into the kitchen.
At that time, the chef said to him, “Who is this person that keeps coming back and sending the food? I would love to meet her. It seems like she’s a real winner.”
So the chef, Alfredo, came out and looked at me, and the first words he said to me was, well, your eyes remind me of David Bowie.
At that moment, I knew I had found my soulmate.
My dad was everything to me; I lost him while I was young. And I was devastated. The only thing I said to my father before his last days was, please show me a sign when I have to meet the right guy.
I always dreamed of my dad walking me down the aisle. That’s every little girl’s dream. But I was not as fortunate as some people were, so when the chef said your eyes remind me of David Bowie, I looked at him, my sister-in-law, and I said to myself, well, I found my soulmate.
Alfredo made me the most beautiful clean trout. It was so amazing. It was how I exactly wanted it to be. Enough olive oil – not too much, not too little – light salt and pepper, marinated with a bit of fresh lemon. It was exquisite, and he topped it off when he served it at the table with fresh lemon and parsley.
I looked at my sister-in-law and told her I had found my soulmate. Meeting Alfredo is a sign from my dad, and she says what do you mean? You’re drunk. You drank a lot. I only had half a glass of wine. But I felt it at that moment I found my soulmate.
At the end of the evening, Alfredo and his friend, the maître d’, Tony, asked to take us for a drink that evening. My sister-in-law agreed while I was a little bit shy. It was around 12-12:30 in the morning, and I was tired and told them I was going to bed.
The Late Night Date
Back at the hotel, I told my sister-in-law I was not waiting for anyone. I’m tired, and as soon as I get into my pajamas and take my makeup off, I’d fall asleep.
The phone rang, and I heard my sister-in-law say, “Oh yes, you can come to pick us up.” I looked at her and said, “No, I’m not getting dressed again.” However, my sister-in-law begged me to come, and I eventually said yes.
We waited for about half an hour to 40 minutes. It was almost 1:30 in the morning.
My sister-in-law opened the door, and I saw Alfredo behind Toni. Alfredo then asked me to come with him. So, of course, I got excited as I wanted to go with him.
I went on the moped with Alfredo, and as we drove, we approached a forked road. Then, Alfredo went the other way, and I started freaking out. He wasn’t speaking English well then, so I took my nails and fingers and slightly scratched his back. Then, I asked him where he was taking me. I asked to be brought back to our hotel and where my sister-in-law was.
Alfredo tried to calm me down and told me that the road would meet again soon and that he won’t do anything to hurt me. It turned out that I could trust him, and we arrived safely at the Club.
We started dancing to Van Morrison’s My Brown Eyed Girl, and oh my god, it seemed like I had known Alfredo for years. We had a few drinks, and then he took us to Elbow Beach, about 15 minutes from where we were. It was on the other side of the island.
Elbow Beach
It was a full moon, and I’ll never forget when we started walking on the beautiful beach. We were talking and cuddling, and I’ll never forget I kissed him on his half lip, and that kiss stood on my lip and his lip for the longest time. And after that, we went back to the hotel, and he said I’m exhausted. It was almost 4 a.m.
Alfredo asked if he could stay in the room and sleep with me. I said, “Sure, you can sleep on the floor.” But he was like, “Oh, I got a pain in my back. We’ve been working all night.” So I agreed to let him spend the rest of the evening beside me.
Leaving for NYC
This feeling is not going to last. Alfredo lives in Bermuda, and I live in New York. In the morning, I was so excited to meet him. I met the man of my life, but I had to leave. I had to go back to New York, and we had just met, and I didn’t know what to do.
When my sister-in-law, Alfredo, and Toni came down the stairs, I was sitting writing a letter. He looked at me and asked if I was okay, and I said, “Yeah, I was thinking about my father. Everything is fine.” I gave Alfredo my number and told him to keep in touch.
David Bowie Eyes
I was crying as my sister-in-law, and I got on the plane. She asked me what was wrong, and I said, “He’s the man I’m supposed to marry. I love him. He’s my soulmate. Meeting Alfredo is the sign from my dad.”
She looked at me and said, “He’s just a guy.” I said, “He would’ve never said what he said when he looked right beneath my eyes and told me my eye looks like David Bowie. No one ever said that to me.”
When I was young, I had eye surgery. My dog had a chain stuck in his neck, and while my dad and brother were trying to get it out, a piece of metal went into my eye.
Thank God I was very fortunate that I did not lose my eye. And hearing that compliment from Alfredo made me feel that it was a sign from my dad.
Phone Bill
When I was back in New York, Alfredo and I kept calling each other daily. For about 28 days, we’ve spent more than $2500 on phone bills. It was a lot of money.
So we decided we could not do it anymore, so Alfredo flew to New York to visit me. I come from a very strict Italian family, and I was living at my parent’s house. I told my mom that a friend from Italy was coming to stay with me for a couple of days. Since they are strict, I told her it was a friend named Antonella.
Antonella
I brought with me a dress and a wig for Alfredo to wear. I also asked him to shave his legs and pretend he was a wimp. He was all game and understood that I come from a strict Italian family.
For three days, he was playing the field as a woman. My mom had wanted to meet him, but I made several excuses until it was Alfredo’s last day.
It was hard for Alfredo, but my mother hugged “Antonella.” I was nervous about getting caught, but Alfredo played the game so well that my mom had no idea about it.
Destiny
After 28 days of meeting each other, we decided to tie the knot. We went to the justice of the peace to get married. A year later, we had a church ceremony and a reception. Alfredo and I have been together through bad times and good times, and this December, we will be married for 34 years.
If you believe in destiny and first love, you’ll never know what the future will bring.
And that is the story of how I became a wife, which also led me to create the “Bermuda.”
Bermuda – The Painting
I created this painting to keep my wonderful experience with my husband, Alfredo. This is a painting that I will definitely not sell as it is very close to my heart.
Love and light,
