I jutted out my chin. "Why thank you. You are quite womanly yourself, and obviously younger than my twenty seven years. What are you, twenty two? No, there is not girlfriend, or wife, or ex-wife back home. The truth is that my work ruins any chance I have at a relationship. Most women don't want a man who is always going off to the far corners of the world to work, and the few that were willing to follow me, I did not fancy as much as they fancied me. The truth is that I already plan to stay a bachelor until I retire. Maybe then I can find the love of my life and a reason to settle down." It was as honest as I had ever been with a woman, but I figured it did not matter. We would not be seeing each other much longer than another ten days, and most of those days she would probably spend working.

"So you tell me. What are you looking for in your perfect man. Your certainly smart enough and pretty enough not to be single. Why hasn't some Newfoundlander stolen your heart already?" It was a bold enough question, but it seemed to be a night for bold questions. I took another long sip of my black coffee while I waited for an answer. My eyes were draw to her bare feet, swinging freely through the air, and I forced them back up to her face.