“For the last time – no”, shouted Courtney.
“Oh c’mon. All I’m asking for is just one date. That’s all”, begged Pete Groves.
“I said no. We’re closing know anyway, so if you don’t mind”, said Courtney while pointing towards the door.
“OK. But think about it Courtney, please”, said Pete while leaving.
“I don’t understand, Courtney”, said Rachel, Courtney’s best friend.
“I mean he’s smart, funny, handsome and the 2nd richest guy in Manhattan”
“I know Rachel, but I just don’t feel, you know, that way about him”
“Suit yourself”, said Rachel with a grin on her face.
“Can you help me clean up please Rachel”, asked Courtney.
“Sure. What’s this?”, asked Rachel
“What’s what”, replied Courtney
“This envelope. I just found it on the plate which you put tips in”
“It’s a check”, said the flabbergasted Courtney
“A what?”, asked Rachel
“It’s a check. For forty – thousand dollars. What, Pete just thinks he can buy my love. Well I don’t think so. I’m gonna” see him about this, first thing in the morning.
The next morning, Courtney phoned in to the restaurant where she worked and told the boss that she would be quite late as she had to take care of something – Pete. Courtney walked down the busiest Manhattan road, St. Nicholas Ave., pushing and shoving her way through the crowd to get to the colossal skyscraper which Pete owned and where his company was based. Soon she reached it and asked the receptionist what floor Pete was situated on. The receptionist replied
“Is Mr. Groves expecting you?”
“No but tell him it’s Courtney from the restaurant”, said Courtney with a phoney smile on her face.
“Floor thirteen Madam”
“Thank you”, Courtney said and made her way towards the elevators and went to floor thirteen.
Immediately, Courtney saw Pete’s office. It was impossible to miss, with two gigantic doors and a huge, golden plaque on top with the name ‘Peter. A. Groves’ engraved into it. Courtney, without delay, stormed into Pete’s office.
“What is this check supposed to mean. Huh? Do you want to buy my love or something? Huh? Is that it?”
“Courtney, Courtney, please. Calm down. I don’t know what I was thinking. I’ve never asked a woman out on a date before I thought you would like what I did”
“Yeah, well I’m not like that Pete. Here”, Courtney said whilst throwing the check back in Pete’s face.
“Courtney, for the last time, please. Just one date. If you don’t like what you get, then forget me and I’ll forget you. I’ll never nag you again.”
“Well seeming that you put it that way, OK”
“OK then. You want to leave now?”, asked Pete
“It’s 10 in the morning. No one goes on a date that early”
“I know but I’m taking you somewhere special. Now c’mon we don’t want to miss our fligh…, I mean date”
After half an hour in the car Pete finally said,
“We’re here” Courtney didn’t know what to say. She was in the middle of an airfield and all she could see was a private jet with the letters P.G printed on it.
“I’m taking you to Rome”, said Pete trying to break the silence, however Courtney stayed silent and after a few minutes got out of the car and went into the Jet.
About 5-6 hours later they arrived in Rome and had dinner, a drink and danced for a bit and then returned home.
“I love him so much. That was the best date I have ever had in my life.”, Courtney said to Rachel.
“What did I tell you?”, replied Rachel.
So Pete and Courtney went out for many months and on one of their dates Pete told Courtney he wanted to see her in his apartment the day after because he had something very important to tell her. So straight away Courtney went to see Rachel and Rachel told Courtney that she thought Pete is going to propose to her. Courtney was so exited and finally the time came.
She knocked on Pete’s door and Pete let her in. Pete started by saying,
“Please, sit down”
Courtney obeyed and Pete sat next to her.
“Listen Courtney. I have conquered the business world and the mental world and now I think it’s time to conquer the physical world.”
“Okay”, Courtney said curiously.
“Courtney I am going to be the Ultimate Fighting Champion. I got some of the best trainers in the world to help me train so I can be the UFC.”
“You can’t do that Pete. People have died from doing that”, said the terrified Courtney.
“Oh, please! I won’t die. So, will you support me?”
“Well, if it means that much to you then yes. But please – be careful”
The exultant Pete then left to start training straight away. Courtney went to watch all of his matches and not on of them did he win. After about 5 or 6 matches Pete had bruised his spine and dislocated his collar bone.
Courtney went to the hospital to visit him.
“Listen Pete”, Courtney started saying. “I can’t stand seeing you like this. You have to stop or we will have to stop seeing each other”
“Courtney, no. Do you think I became a millionaire straight away in business? Of course not. It took me years and years of hard work to finally get it. And it’s the same with this. The more I practice the better I will be.”
“So that’s a no”, Courtney said.
“Yes. I’m sorry”
“Don’t be”, replied the devastated Courtney and with that she left.
A couple of weeks later Courtney saw on the news that someone had died in the UFC. She prayed to God that it wasn’t Pete and listened to the news.
” …and in other news, in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, amateur fighter Peter Alexander Groves died this morning in hospital from severe blood loss.”
Courtney couldn’t believe what she heard.
A week later Rachel and Courtney went to his funeral and in tears Courtney said to Rachel,
“I always told him to be careful, or as my parents used to say – ‘Look Before You Leap’.
