Waiting just for me(Alan Bruce) "We are arresting you, sir, on suspicion of you having stolen works of art belonging to this man's wife", stated the policeman indicating Richard Robinson and Annalis. My head was spinning, and I collapsed to the ground. I found myself awakening in a police cell with two policemen sitting opposite. The key to the story was clearly Annalis. I should explain to you a little about what had happened five years ago!

Annalis slept in the wardrobe, she said, waiting for me to call her. She lived in this suspended world until I asked her to wake up just for me. I lived is this illusion that my allure was so powerful that this beauty would switch herself off, like a robot, for days just waiting for me!

How many people live in such a fool’s world of self-deception? Well, actually many – one needs to just switch on the television to see thousands of such persons! One sees hundreds of such in hotel lobbies, airports, fashionable restaurants and bars. Please let me recount this story to explain what I mean by perfect delusion.

Annalis was the perfect woman, the best lover. When I was busy with my other duties she just went into suspended animation. That’s what she told me, and of course I believed it simply because I expected it? She waited just for me to invite her to play. I did not ask what she did when we were not together, as I said, I simply assumed that she just switched off! When we were together we dined in expensive restaurants, and afterwards went to bed. There I was in heaven and she seemed to enjoy it too. Sometimes I thought her mind was elsewhere, but I guess it really did not interest me. Nothing interested me if it was not about me!

Annalis persuaded me to buy expensive works of art from her friend the galerist. I knew they were expensive and probably quite overpriced, but I did it for her. I thought that even if I did not like the artworks, the galerist had promised that one day they would be worth a fortune. After an expensive art purchase Annalis would even pay for us in the restaurant. This generosity persuaded me to pay the other times. I did not make the connection between the various shiftings of cash between galerist and Annalis!

At the end of the month Annalis just disappeared. Her room in the hotel was empty. There was no forwarding address, and the telephone number that she had left proved to be disconnected!

Annalis left me with several works of art that I had spent my savings on, and with some incredible memories. It was only later that I realized that she had left me with quite a lot of other bills, for hotel, restaurants and boutiques. It took me a long time to uncover my delusions about the woman – the one who was waiting just for me!
I finally realized that my delusions had led me to think this robot only became a woman when I was there. This was the ultimate dream of the bridal virgin, but in the broad daylight of the cheating life.

I only realized the full scale of my delusion when I was waiting one day at a foreign airport for a date. In my current capacity as part time gigolo, I meet women for arranged dates quite regularly. We gigolos live in a dream where we believe that all women will fall head over heels in love with us. We expect that millionairesses will want to marry us for a few weeks, and smother us with valuable gifts and swell up our bank balances! Then they will divorce us with huge alimonies! It’s even more of a delusion when we send photos of ourselves from twenty years ago when we were slim and active, and even attractive! I guess the agency matches we gigolos with aging women who appear to be desperate, or perhaps those just a little lost - and wishing for real love not playboy games?

I was sitting in the lounge at a small distant airport on a business trip. An associate in my real business world, Richard Robinson, said he would meet me there for a small briefing. Richard Robinson was actually my professional rival in business. In recent years the business side has suffered for me - due to one world crisis or another. But Richard seemed to sail through the world’s depressions and always be on top!

Just sitting in the lounge I was totally surprised when I saw Annalis. This was the Annalis - the woman who had been there to serve only me. Looking stunning as ever, dark tanned beautiful skin, exquisite make up, beautiful clothes, looking as if she was totally comfortable in her skin in this world. Annalis took a seat by the window and was not interested in the other people in the lounge. I was sure that she did not even know that I was there. There was no reason why she should recognize me even if she saw me - it was at least five years since we had seen each other, and I was certainly now not so lean and fine-looking as then.

The incoming flight arrived, and near the front of the disembarking passengers I saw Richard Robinson. I was not the only one to notice the arrivals, Annalis had stood up and was walking quickly towards the oncoming arrivers. She went straight up to Richard Robinson and kissed him passionately on his mouth, arms around his neck. He put down his hand baggage to return her kiss also with passion. I was more than a little taken aback at this, because I had known Richard Robinson far longer than I had known Annalis. I have been thwarted on all sides. Serves me right for thinking that I was the only one, and that Annalis had suspended her life just to be there for me!

After a while my Richard Robinson said something to Annalis and he walked towards me. The two men who had been discretely standing behind him now followed him closely towards me. "Arrest this man!" announced Richard Robinson in my direction, as the two men produced police identity badges and flashed them in my direction. The policeman explained to me, "We are arresting you, sir, on suspicion of you having stolen works of art belonging to this man's wife", - indicating Richard Robinson and Annalis. My head was spinning, and I collapsed to the ground. I found myself awakening in a police cell with the two identified policemen sitting opposite.
“Before we take you to the Judge for your hearing, Mrs. Robinson would like to talk to you – if you agree?” asked one of the men. I thought that at least I might get some explanation, so I agreed to a conversation with Annalis.

She walked towards me, looking very confident, sat down and asked if I had any questions to begin with?
I asked Annalis, "Why is this appearing now, when the works of art were purchased five years ago?”
“The works of art all belonged to Richard and were on loan to the gallery. The galerist remembers you admiring the artworks, and when she came back to the gallery you and the artworks were gone!” recounted Annalis.
“But you were with me when I bought the artworks from the galerist!” I protested.
“I don’t remember that at all. When the galerist and I gave our report of art theft to the police, that’s exactly what I told them,” outlined Annalis.

Annalis showed me a photo of an elegant older woman.
“Do you know who this is?” she asked without any nuance.
“Well yes,” I innocently replied, “This is the person I was on my way to meet!”
Annalis continued, “And of course you had sent her a photo of yourself?”
I blushed acknowledgment.
“A photo from at least ten years ago, when you looked far better than the selfish arrogant monster that I met! And now you really look like an out of shape old man. Do you think the woman in the photograph will recognize you compared to your playboy photograph? Do you think the woman in the photograph will want to be associated with an art thief?” exclaimed Annalis.
I stuttered, “I don’t see the connection between the artworks and the woman in the photo!”
“I suppose your agency informed you that this woman in the photo is a very wealthy woman. A woman who recently lost her husband and a delightful person who is looking for love and kindness?” the words rolled out of Annalis’s mouth. “Don’t think you can abuse this kind woman the way you abused me!”
“What abuse?” I spluttered, “I treated you like a goddess!”
“What goddess is supposed to switch off like a robot when she is not entertaining you? Simply not treating a person like a person is abuse! Treating them as a plaything for your pleasure is abuse!” finished Annalis.
“But why all of this now?” I asked again.
“I saw the photo a few days ago when this woman told me where she was going. I knew that I would have to lie to the police if they don’t find the evidence of art theft compelling enough!” stated Annalis.
“Yes, and?” I asked exasperated.
Annalis replied coolly, “The woman you are hoping to meet is my mother, you selfish old man!”

---