the maltese postman
Gillian is 42, but looks 22, and is childless and newly separated from her husband. She found the tranquility she needed to get herself together, put the past behind her and make plans for the future by taking a trip to Malta.
"The tiny island of Malta basks in the warmth in the Mediterranean Sea and once played a strategic part in the various military operations of the last century - particularly for Great Britain," says Gillian, "and it has since become a delightful tourist resort for Britons involved in more personal operations like mine."
"I desperately needed a diversion from all the thoughts that I just couldn’t still in my mind - thoughts of my estranged husband, Joe, with his new woman; thoughts of my lovely new home that was now up for sale; thoughts of all the pitying faces at work and at the club when knowledge of my marriage break-up became known; and thoughts of my parents who took me back home to live with them and, as expected, couldn’t wait to remind me that they had warned me not to marry Joe."
"I highly recommend that newly separated women take a break - anywhere - in order to muster strength for what lies ahead," says Gillian, "and Malta is ideal because just about everybody there speaks English, if not as their primary language then as a very close second."
"I didn't want the hassle of using my schoolgirl French or German," says Gillian. "I just wanted to get away, and far enough away to be foreign. Know what I mean?"
"Some cynics would say that once you've seen one Mediterranean island you've seen the lot," says Gillian, "and I tend to agree in part but what was most memorable about being in Malta was not the falcons -- I doubt that there are any on the island -- but the people. In particular, the Maltese Postman."
It was a warm late October afternoon and Gillian visited a small post-office on the outskirts of the capital city, Valetta, to get some stamps. Behind the counter was George.
Delighted to meet an off-season tourist, and bored with his work, George insisted on closing the post-office and showing her around his island.
Gillian thinks that George had done this sort of thing lots of times before, but having no fear whatsoever that his intentions were anything other than honorable she felt quite safe being shown around the island by him.
"He was old enough to be my father - not that an age difference deters older men, or younger women if it comes to that - but there was something about him that assured me that his first love was Malta and he wanted to share that love with anybody who was interested. And I was."
"George was a mine of information about the history of the island and its significance during both world wars," says Gillian. "Apparently huge fleets had anchored in Valetta Bay and George remembered the island being full of servicemen on shore leave when he was a boy."
Had Gillian taken a notebook with her she would now have a unique story of one man's life on Malta during an exciting time in its history, but alas all she has are shreds of information gleaned from the hours that she and the Maltese Postman had spent together.
After a delightful few hours zooming her around the island, George delivered Gillian back to her hotel, safe and sound, just like a good postman delivers a letter.
She cannot imagine very many postmen in any part of the world having the authority to shut up shop in order to show a tourist around, so Gillian felt honored by the experience and hopes that nobody had wanted his postal services while he was AWOL.
Maybe it could only have happened in Malta?
Gillian’s story about George lacks the sexual liaison that so many separated women feel compelled to indulge in after a marriage fails - similar to that portrayed in the Shirley Valentine film - yet it shows how a simple encounter with a nice man can diffuse a lot of emotional tension.
"There are nice men out there," says Gillian, "and I’m not going to allow a failed marriage spoil the rest of my life. I am going to love again!"
Yet it wasn’t just Gillian’s experience with George that changed her attitude.
"I experienced a spiritual rebirth during my stay on the island of Malta," explains Gillian. "There was something about the island that made it so easy for me to put everything into perspective."
"The tiny island of Malta basks in the warmth in the Mediterranean Sea and once played a strategic part in the various military operations of the last century - particularly for Great Britain," says Gillian, "and it has since become a delightful tourist resort for Britons involved in more personal operations like mine."
"I desperately needed a diversion from all the thoughts that I just couldn’t still in my mind - thoughts of my estranged husband, Joe, with his new woman; thoughts of my lovely new home that was now up for sale; thoughts of all the pitying faces at work and at the club when knowledge of my marriage break-up became known; and thoughts of my parents who took me back home to live with them and, as expected, couldn’t wait to remind me that they had warned me not to marry Joe."
"I highly recommend that newly separated women take a break - anywhere - in order to muster strength for what lies ahead," says Gillian, "and Malta is ideal because just about everybody there speaks English, if not as their primary language then as a very close second."
"I didn't want the hassle of using my schoolgirl French or German," says Gillian. "I just wanted to get away, and far enough away to be foreign. Know what I mean?"
"Some cynics would say that once you've seen one Mediterranean island you've seen the lot," says Gillian, "and I tend to agree in part but what was most memorable about being in Malta was not the falcons -- I doubt that there are any on the island -- but the people. In particular, the Maltese Postman."
It was a warm late October afternoon and Gillian visited a small post-office on the outskirts of the capital city, Valetta, to get some stamps. Behind the counter was George.
Delighted to meet an off-season tourist, and bored with his work, George insisted on closing the post-office and showing her around his island.
Gillian thinks that George had done this sort of thing lots of times before, but having no fear whatsoever that his intentions were anything other than honorable she felt quite safe being shown around the island by him.
"He was old enough to be my father - not that an age difference deters older men, or younger women if it comes to that - but there was something about him that assured me that his first love was Malta and he wanted to share that love with anybody who was interested. And I was."
"George was a mine of information about the history of the island and its significance during both world wars," says Gillian. "Apparently huge fleets had anchored in Valetta Bay and George remembered the island being full of servicemen on shore leave when he was a boy."
Had Gillian taken a notebook with her she would now have a unique story of one man's life on Malta during an exciting time in its history, but alas all she has are shreds of information gleaned from the hours that she and the Maltese Postman had spent together.
After a delightful few hours zooming her around the island, George delivered Gillian back to her hotel, safe and sound, just like a good postman delivers a letter.
She cannot imagine very many postmen in any part of the world having the authority to shut up shop in order to show a tourist around, so Gillian felt honored by the experience and hopes that nobody had wanted his postal services while he was AWOL.
Maybe it could only have happened in Malta?
Gillian’s story about George lacks the sexual liaison that so many separated women feel compelled to indulge in after a marriage fails - similar to that portrayed in the Shirley Valentine film - yet it shows how a simple encounter with a nice man can diffuse a lot of emotional tension.
"There are nice men out there," says Gillian, "and I’m not going to allow a failed marriage spoil the rest of my life. I am going to love again!"
Yet it wasn’t just Gillian’s experience with George that changed her attitude.
"I experienced a spiritual rebirth during my stay on the island of Malta," explains Gillian. "There was something about the island that made it so easy for me to put everything into perspective."
Labels: divorce, malta, maltese postman, separated, separation, women
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