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20 <font color="#336666" face="Freehand591 BT" size="5"><b><i>Dear Olga,</i></b></font></p>
21 <p><font color="#336666" size="5" face="Freehand591 BT"><b><i>Never in a thousand years would I have thought
22 that I would meet a woman like you! You are so poised with grace and beauty.
23 You are kind and loving and appreciative. You are intelligent and feminine and interesting. You are a true lady who has a firm grip on my heart.</i></b></font>
24 <p><font color="#336666" size="5" face="Freehand591 BT"><b><i>I remember back before I came to Kiev for the
25 first time. It was very exciting for me and my hopes were high that I might
26 meet the girl of my dreams in the city of my mother's birth. But this is
27 typical for me. Deep down I am an optimist and I easily believe the best
28 will happen. But in my life it is not always the case the best does
29 happen. So I usually look at what may mess that up. I also often attempt
30 to play down what might be so that I don't get disappointed. Before I came
31 out to Kiev I remember thinking to myself and planning: What will I do
32 if this doesn't work for me? For years now I have not be able to find anybody
33 special where I live. Will I remain alone until I die?</i></b></font>
34 <p><font color="#336666" size="5" face="Freehand591 BT"><b><i>The time I spent in Kiev was truly wonderful.
35 I was like a kid in a candy store - there were many beautiful women there
36 and the all were kind and they all accepted my invitation to go out. You
37 must understand this just does not happen where I live. If anything it
38 is the exact opposite here. But quickly I learned that I was still not
39 making any real connection to any of the women. It is hard to really get
40 to know somebody in just a few days. And, along with being feminine, the
41 women are a lot more reserved about themselves and do not open up to somebody
42 else that quickly. But I was having a great time so I did not think of
43 my trip as a total loss. If I came home with no perspective wives at least
44 I had a good time.</i></b></font>
45 <p><font color="#336666" size="5" face="Freehand591 BT"><b><i>And I remember when I met you at the second social.
46 I remember seeing you as I was visiting all the tables. I remember coming
47 back to your table and sitting down next to you. At the time I didn't realize
48 that that was your table. I remember looking to my left and seeing you
49 there and I got nervous. But we talked for a while and you were very pleasant
50 to me, which eased my nervousness. I remember you showing me your photos
51 and when you showed me the photo of you at your work I didn't know what
52 to do. It was a very provocative picture and I didn't want you to think
53 that I was just interested in you for your body. I guess I was embarrassed.</i></b></font>
54 <p><font color="#336666" size="5" face="Freehand591 BT"><b><i>I believe I came around to your table later and
55 asked for your number and if you wanted to go out. I needed to work up
56 the courage to ask you. I'm glad you were still there otherwise we wouldn't
57 have went out.</i></b></font>
58 <p><font color="#336666" size="5" face="Freehand591 BT"><b><i>I remember our first date together. I had just
59 had a date with a nice girl and her son that afternoon. Nothing special.
60 I got back to the hotel to change for our date. I had made up my mind that
61 I wanted to take you to the Renaissance, to a fancy place because I considered
62 you a classy lady. When I came down to the lobby you were late in arriving.
63 My first fear hit me. Up until then all the ladies were nice and eager
64 to go out. It was unbelievable to me that I could take out so many beautiful
65 women. Then you were late. I began thinking that perhaps my luck had run
66 out, that you were much too good for me and that you wouldn't show up at
68 <p><font color="#336666" size="5" face="Freehand591 BT"><b><i>While I was waiting there an
70 happened to me. The lady I had a date with that afternoon arrived at the
71 hotel dressed to go out. Seems she was going out with one of the other
72 Americans but he was also late. So here we are, me and her, stuck in the
73 lobby because our dates were late and we were trying to avoid each other.
74 Finally I went up to her and said that it was alright, that the men are
75 doing this and it makes sense that the women are doing it too. Normally
76 I would have been angry, hurt and crushed if that happened to me but here in Kiev there are
77 many beautiful women. And I have the most beautiful woman coming here to
78 meet me for dinner. Eventually you arrived and we went to dinner.</i></b></font>
79 <p><font color="#336666" size="5" face="Freehand591 BT"><b><i>The restaurant was just fabulous and you looked
80 great. I remember getting wine, which is something I rarely drink. I remember
81 telling you not to worry about whatever the evening ended up costing and
82 that I just wanted to go out to a nice restaurant with a nice lady and have
83 a good time. I made you promise to not worry about it. I had learned that
84 Ukrainian women worry about how much money a guy spends on them and I didn't
85 want that ruining the evening. I remember starring into your eyes as we
86 talked and that the rest of the restaurant seemed to melt away. But I still
87 found it difficult to look you directly in the eye for a long time. To
88 me it was just too intense, too strong a feeling. The atmosphere was very
89 romantic and I was just getting swept up in the moment. The wine was kicking
90 in (well at least the portion that I didn't spill on the tablecloth! Talk
91 about embarrassing!) and my blood was flowing. I was complimenting you often
92 and I did mean every compliment, but I felt like I was worrying you. I
93 remember telling you that you were definitely one of the women that I wanted
94 to see again and to continue to talk to. Turns out you were the only
95 woman that I said that to.</i></b></font>
96 <p><font color="#336666" size="5" face="Freehand591 BT"><b><i>The passion and fire that was in my heart at the
97 restaurant managed to cool itself down a little bit on the taxi ride home.
98 I started thinking that I messed up the evening by being too intense and
99 you appeared to be nervous. When we got back to the hotel and said goodnight
100 I gave you a little kiss and what I remember was that you turned to your
101 cheek slightly. It all seemed rushed as you were talking to the taxicab
102 driver. Before I knew it you were off in the taxi. I went back in the hotel
103 thinking "Well you blew it Andy by going overboard! You'll probably
104 not see her again because she doesn't seem to be interested in you. Oh well,
105 you can't win them all". The rest of that night was not particularly pleasant
106 for me.</i></b></font>
107 <p><font color="#336666" size="5" face="Freehand591 BT"><b><i>That weekend I had two women come into Kiev that
108 I was speaking to before through email. One, Svetlana, was staying in my
109 hotel and the other, Elena, was in another hotel. I had told Svetlana about
110 Elena and said that I would not be able to see Svetlana very much during
111 that weekend. Svetlana was staying until Tuesday and Elena was only there
112 until Sunday. Svetlana said she understood. Turns out that Svetlana was
113 not at all like I expected her to be. She was too young and immature. The
114 whole weekend she was trying to cling to me and I was not interested.</i></b></font>
115 <p><font color="#336666" size="5" face="Freehand591 BT"><b><i>I didn't enjoy the last social on Friday very
116 much. At this social I had my tux and got some roses to pass out. While
117 I had fun trying to be Mr. Charming, I did not get a single phone number
118 at the last social. I didn't see anybody that I liked or was interested
119 in. There was nobody here to compare to you. I was really hoping to see you there but you didn't show up. I guess
120 that was good because Svetlana was hanging around me most of the night anyway.</i></b></font>
121 <p><font color="#336666" size="5" face="Freehand591 BT"><b><i>Elena was also young. I was more interested
122 in Elena than Svetlana. I spent a good portion of that weekend with Elena
123 (remember I was still thinking I'd never see you again). But Elena was
124 elusive and secretive. Then I caught Elena in a lie and I didn't appreciate
125 that at all. In the end I sent Elena off on a train and told her that I
126 would not be contacting her anymore.</i></b></font>
127 <p><font color="#336666" size="5" face="Freehand591 BT"><b><i>At this point it was pretty depressing for me.
128 All the socials were over and I still didn't have anybody I was seriously
129 thinking about. And the person I was really interested in, you, was not
130 interested in me as far as I could tell. Well I still had some more phone
131 numbers and women I could take out but I felt certain that I would be going
132 home without knowing that I had somebody that was a good possibility.</i></b></font>
133 <p><font color="#336666" size="5" face="Freehand591 BT"><b><i>I finally got enough courage to call you again
134 and see if I could make a better impression on you. I remember thinking
135 that I need to make a date with you that was more casual and try to take you on
136 a more sporty date. I thought of horseback riding or bicycling. I tried and tried to find a place for bicycling but I could
137 not find one. And, as we now know, my lead on the horseback riding was
138 not all that good.</i></b></font>
139 <p><font color="#336666" size="5" face="Freehand591 BT"><b><i>That second date started off badly with the weather
140 not being cooperative. But still we managed alright. And that long taxi
141 ride out to what was supposed to be a horseback riding place! My heart
142 sank when I said that we would not be able to ride horses. I kept thinking
143 she must think I'm a dope! I can't even arrange a date! But again we muddled
144 through.</i></b></font>
145 <p><font color="#336666" size="5" face="Freehand591 BT"><b><i>I don't remember when we went up to my hotel room
146 exactly but I remember that I wanted to show you my pictures and let you
147 listen to my CD. I remember you listening to the CD. I made sure that I
148 put on The Reunion because it's a particularly romantic song. You
149 had the headphones on and was swaying to the music slightly. All I could
150 do is watch you. Your face looked so lovely as it had your thoughts of
151 romance on it. I remember leaning down close to your face and I wanted
152 to kiss you right then and there. But then I remembered that I'd said that
153 I wouldn't try anything. And here we are alone in my hotel room, you're
154 sitting on my bed and I'm going to kiss you passionately while you're listening
155 to a romantic song?!? What will you be thinking? You'll think that I'm
156 just breaking my promise. I can't do that to you! I respect you and I want
157 you to like me and be able to trust me when I make a promise to you. Let
158 me tell you it was a hard thing to maintain control at that moment. Then
159 you opened your eyes and we both got startled! It was funny and embarrassing but for some reason, by then I felt a little more comfortable about it.</i></b></font>
160 <p><font size="5" face="Freehand591 BT"><b><i><font color="#336666">I remember we also went to see that movie in Russian.
161 It's a good thing that I had seen it already in English and that it was
162 an action film instead of a film with a lot of talking. By this time we
163 were feeling more comfortable with each other and I felt good about that.
164 Didn't we also go to that dance club later on? I remember that we started
165 the date at around 1 in the afternoon and you didn't go back until around
166 11 or 12 at night. I was beginning to feel much better about you and that
167 perhaps I was making a good impression on you this time.</font>
169 <font color="#336666">But, for me, I knew there was something special going
170 on when we were standing outside of the hotel and kissing. It was like
171 neither of wanted the night to end. And when you came back into the hotel
172 because I had forgotten to take care of the taxi all I could think about
173 was that it was not just me who had lost his mind, thinking not of what
174 needed to be done but instead thinking of only you. That's when I realized
175 that you were having the same feelings that I was.</font></i></b></font>
176 <p align="center"><img border="0" src="P1010143.jpg" width="453" height="335">
177 <p><font color="#336666" size="5" face="Freehand591 BT"><b><i>And our final date was really good too. I decided
178 not to try to get the bicycles or to search for horseback riding again.
179 I thought sailing would be better. It was very nice. It was peaceful and
180 quiet and beautiful. I remember feeling, as we gathered our stuff up in
181 the boat and got comfortable, that I will do this again with you many times
182 in America. That walk we had was nice too. At that point we really felt
183 like a couple to me. It was getting comfortable for me now. I was not as
184 concerned with looking like a fool, I was interested in looking at you
185 and learning more about you. And that taxi ride home was wonderful. Gregory
186 was doing a great job playing those romantic songs and this time I was
187 not nervous about being romantic.</i></b></font>
188 <p align="center"><img border="0" src="P1010131.jpg" width="501" height="338">
189 <p><font color="#336666" size="5" face="Freehand591 BT"><b><i>Remember that we tried to find Sean and Elena
190 to go out dancing? It's funny when you think about what has happened with
191 them and us now.</i></b></font>
192 <p><font color="#336666" size="5" face="Freehand591 BT"><b><i>When we were in the dance club later that night
193 and playing the slot machines I again remember getting a picture of doing
194 this with you again in America. Maybe Vegas or Reno.</i></b></font>
195 <p><font color="#336666" size="5" face="Freehand591 BT"><b><i>But when the night was ending I was getting sad.
196 Not only were you leaving but I was leaving too for America. What was to
197 happen next? I said that if I met anyone I really felt I had potential
198 with that I would resist getting engaged right then and that I would instead
199 talk with them on the phone and in email and come back to see them. Was
200 that a mistake?</i></b></font>
201 <p align="left"><font color="#336666" size="5" face="Freehand591 BT"><b><i>Well I sure felt it was a</i></b></font><font size="5" face="Freehand591 BT"><b><i><font color="#336666">
202 mistake when I was on
203 that long flight back to the US. A couple of the American guys were talking
204 about the people they met, and John was already engaged and filing papers. Another
205 member of the group, Greg, was mesmerized by a lady and was going to get
206 married. I started thinking "What did I do? I should have Olga fill out
207 paperwork too!". I couldn't stop thinking about you. I saw your perfume
208 in the magazine but I wasn't able to get it on the plane because I only
209 had travelers checks. But I knew that I would get you that perfume. I started
210 thinking about all the romantic things I could do for you.</font>
213 <p align="center"><font size="5" face="Freehand591 BT"><b><i>Roses photo here</i></b></font><p align="left"><font size="5" face="Freehand591 BT"><b><i><br>
214 <font color="#336666">When I got home I immediately order you flowers.
215 And I started calling you. With every call our love has been growing stronger.
216 I couldn't wait to get back out to see you. I felt so good when I got the
217 tickets because I knew that I would definitely be seeing you again.</font>
220 <p><font color="#336666" size="5" face="Freehand591 BT"><b><i>As the days went
221 onward I knew that on my trip back I would ask you to marry me. My first idea of
222 how to ask you was to go back to the Renaissance and have them make you a cake
223 that asked you to marry me. I wanted it to say "Da" and "Nyet"
224 but in the end they just pub "Yes" and "No". I tried for a
225 few weeks to get the number of the Renaissance and finally got it. I called them
226 to arrange the evening but my Russian was not good enough to do that. I emailed
227 a few AFA interpreters asking them to make the arrangements for me but no one
228 returned the email. I was getting desperate when I called AFA and asked them for
229 help. They helped me make arrangements for Wednesday.</i></b></font><p><font color="#336666" size="5" face="Freehand591 BT"><b><i>The
230 trip out to Kiev in September was long and made even longer by my detainment in
231 the airport. Not only had I gotten only 2 hours sleep on the 20 hour flight to
232 Kiev I was forced to sleep on a cold steel bench in the airport that first
233 night. I was tired cold and frustrated by the security officers and other people
234 in the airport who would not let me into the country to see you. I could not
235 page you and I could not reach you at your home either. The frustration broke me
236 down and I was an emotional wreck. </i></b></font><p><font color="#336666" size="5" face="Freehand591 BT"><b><i>I
237 had to travel back to Warsaw for my visit and 2 days that I could have spent
238 with you were wasted. I called you from Warsaw and emotional wreck and crying.
239 It was like I was a starving man shown a gourmet dinner but not allowed to eat.
240 Luckily the Ukrainian Embassy processed my visit quickly and I was able to make
241 the next mornings flight back to Kiev. I said to myself that I would not call
242 you until I was past customs this time. When I called you I remember your
243 surprise when I told you I was past customs and you could pick me up. The wait
244 for you to pick me up was almost unbearable but at least I knew that we would be
245 able to spend some time together.</i></b></font><p><font color="#336666" size="5" face="Freehand591 BT"><b><i>I
246 was getting a little angry with you being late but when you arrived all of that
247 went away. I was so glad to see you finally, so much so I spilled coke all over
248 you and your purse as we hugged for the first time in a long time. I'm glad you
249 were able to get that out. </i></b></font><p align="center"><img border="0" src="P9210052.JPG" width="640" height="480"><p><font color="#336666" size="5" face="Freehand591 BT"><b><i>We
250 settled in to the apartment and all I could think of was that that night was
251 Wednesday, the night we were supposed to go to the restaurant! But I decided
252 that it was just too soon to do that now. We spend our first night together and
253 it was truly wonderful. The next night we were to go to the restaurant. I was
254 hoping I could make adjustments to my plan for that night. They had put us in
255 that nice, romantic corner booth and I thought "maybe the restaurant
256 remembered us and will be all ready for us even though we're a day late". I
257 excused myself saying I was using the bathroom to make sure that things were
258 still on. It's a good thing that I have been taking Russian lessons because they
259 helped me to talk to the security person who got the waitress for me. They told
260 me that I was supposed to come last night and I explained my problems at the
261 airport. It looked like they would not be able to make the cake and I started
262 thinking of other ways I could make this work. Then the waitress had an idea of
263 how they could still make the cake and I returned back to the table. I remember
264 coming into the main room again with a smile on my face. I quickly wiped the
265 smile off my face so you would not suspect anything just as I came past the
266 curtain that draped our booth.</i></b></font><p><font color="#336666" size="5" face="Freehand591 BT"><b><i>I
267 had also thought that you must be thinking that I would ask you to marry me
268 because we had spoke of our life together in America already on the phone many
269 times and here I was taking you back to a fancy restaurant, the restaurant of
270 our first date. So I had a diversionary plan. I had gotten you that necklace to
271 divert your attention and to satisfy your curiosity should you be thinking that
272 I was about to propose. It seemed to work nicely.</i></b></font>
273 <p align="center"><img border="0" src="P9210057.JPG" width="640" height="480"></p>
274 <p><i><b><font color="#336666" size="5" face="Freehand591 BT">When dinner was
275 done I suggested desert. You said that you weren't hungry and I said that
276 Ukrainians always have desert! At that time the cake arrived. You were in shock
277 and didn't know what was going on. I worried because it was a little hard to
278 read the question that was on the cake. And as is typical your answer did not
279 immediately come. </font></b></i><p align="center"><img border="0" src="P9210054.JPG" width="640" height="480"><p><i><b><font color="#336666" size="5" face="Freehand591 BT">Of
280 course I had to ask you the question myself. I was relieved to hear you say yes.
281 It took you a while to notice the ring on the candle.</font></b></i> <i><b><font color="#336666" size="5" face="Freehand591 BT">And
282 then we danced cheek to cheek and it was wonderful. When we got back to the
283 apartment we also danced to "When You Love Somebody" and there was
284 magic in the air for me.</font></b></i><p align="center"><img border="0" src="P9240088.JPG" width="480" height="640"><p><i><b><font color="#336666" size="5" face="Freehand591 BT">The
285 rest of our time together was truly wonderful too, with roller blading down
286 Krushatic, the shopping together, strolling around, making dinner, washing
287 dishes and taking showers together. I even got to take care of you when you had
288 a stomach ache. It was only when I was leaving did the anger returned and I said
289 to myself "If I didn't have that Visa problem getting in I would be able to
290 spend another two days with her". We parted at the airport and I remember
291 how you just disappeared after I went through customs. All I could think about
292 was to get busy, to get started with the Fiancé Visa paperwork and to get the
293 house ready. I want to get you here as soon as possible so we can start our life
294 together.</font></b></i><p><i><b><font color="#336666" size="5" face="Freehand591 BT">And
295 now I'm coming out again in December. I guess I just can't keep away from you -
296 and I never want to be away from you for such a long time again. My love we will
297 be together in December again and we will have another wonderful time. And soon
298 you will be in my arms in America, in our house, safe, comfortable and happy as
299 we start our family and life here.</font></b></i>
305 <p><i><b><font color="#336666" size="5" face="Freehand591 BT">I
306 love you very much and miss you dearly,</font></b></i><p><img border="0" src="Signature.gif" width="200" height="36">
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