Web of Pretense: When Love and Romance Turn to Obsession

Mark was planning to retire from his 30 year stint as a high school teacher in upstate New York. In two more weeks, it would be his last day on the job. He received his undergraduate degree in math and went on to obtain a Master's degree in education. After graduation, he immediately got a job teaching algebra and geometry at a public school and spent the best years of his life shaping the minds of young people. Many of his students went on to attend prominent colleges and universities to become power brokers in business, law, politics, medicine, arts and entertainment. Because of his teaching style and commitment to education, he garnered much respect and admiration from his students, peers and the community in which he lived. He was voted teacher of the year for three consecutive years, but sensed it was time to leave and pursue other interests.

After consulting with his financial advisor, Mark knew he would be able to live comfortably from his pension and investments. His portfolio which included stocks, bonds and other instruments was worth over $500,000.00. His house, if he decided to sell, was appraised at $400,000.00. But despite all of his accomplishments and the accolades, Mark felt alone and unfulfilled in his love life. He had married at a young age, but the union ended before it got started; and even though Mark dated often, he never felt a deep love or emotional connection with any of these women. A few of his friends and co-workers would arrange blind dates for him, but the sparks just weren't there. Most of the women he dated were middle-aged divorcees or widows who were unadventurous or set in their ways. Gathering around the table and snacking on munchies and gossiping about who knows what were the ultimate high for most of these women. Mark enjoyed going to the nightspots and being around energetic people. It was definitely time for him to meet someone who was active and enjoyed doing the things he valued. If he did nothing else, he was going to find the love of his life and live blissfully ever after.

It had been a couple of months since Mark left his job. He was busy getting his house in order and putting it up for sale. He had lived in his home for over twenty years. He thought about leasing the house out to a potential buyer with an option to buy, but after careful consideration, he decided to just sell the property. He did not want to hold a mortgage, or put any more money into adding amenities to the place, as was suggested by his real estate agent. Mark felt that selling the house as is would be a better choice, since the house was already in superb condition. Mark was very meticulous in maintaining his property which was a two-story townhouse with three bedrooms; each room came with its own bathroom, a spacious kitchen with all modern appliances; there was a finished basement with its own bathroom, and a two car garage, just to name a few of the house's features. The eclectic community was made up of professionals, entrepreneurs, artists, working class people, retirees and young couples and single parents. When Mark bought the house, he was contemplating on being married with children. But as fate would have it, getting married again was yet to happen. For one person, the house was too much. In the earlier years, some of his family members were living with him. But later on, they purchased their own homes and moved to various parts of the world. Most of the homes in the community were appraised from $400,000.000 to $600,000.00. He was asking for $450,000.00; since the house was purchased for only $80,000.00 in the mid 80s; he stood to make a nice return on his investment.

Living abroad has always been Mark's dream. He was thinking about relocating to Bermuda, since he had traveled there on many occasions. What he liked most about the island was the friendliness of the people, the warm climate and the tranquility. But before making any decisions about moving overseas, he would have to do more research and wait until the sale of his house was finalized. This was going to take awhile, since it was a slow buyer's market.

Now that Mark had more leisure time, he decided to go on the Internet and check out the newest trends. While he was teaching, going online for fun was of no interest to him. He would use the Internet to do research on teaching ideas and new developments in math calculations. He always encouraged his students to use the Internet as a tool for learning, but emphasized that one should never rely on the World Wide Web as their only source for acquiring knowledge. As he was searching through cyberspace, he came across a social networking site for professionals who were looking for dates, love or romance. Mark would always hear some of his students talking about meeting people for love and other activities in these community networks, but he never gave it much thought. Meeting women was never a problem for him, but finding that woman with passion and sensuality was. So he decided to check out the site and started to read some of the profiles. He was amazed by the number of women who were searching for a soul mate. Most of the female posters were in their early or mid twenties; since Mark was in his early fifties, he thought that most of the women would be turned off by his age. But Mark did have a youthful appearance and was often mistaken for a student while he was teaching. Nevertheless, he uploaded his photo and posted his details which read as follows:

Hello: My name is Mark. I'm a recently retired math teacher, who has been searching for Miss Right all my life, and believe that extraordinary woman is somewhere out there. I am 5'11" tall, and even though I'm in my early 50s, I'm in excellent physical form and have the stamina of a 20 year old. My goal is to meet a down-to-earth, loving and caring single female for a relationship leading to marriage. I'm compassionate, romantic, kind, financially secured and enjoy traveling, dinning out and going to nightclubs. Your looks, social or economic status is unimportant. If you're interested, please drop me an e-mail.

While Mark was at his computer, he started to reminisce about his earlier years growing up in New York. He was born in the mid 50s in a close-knit community and was the older of two children. His parents were both educators and instilled in their kids the importance of learning. Mark had always loved and excelled in math; so he became a math teacher. His sister was a surgeon and living in Ghana with her husband and their three children. Mark met his first love while he was a student in high school; her name was Keisha; she was one of the most popular and beautiful girls in the school; from the day they met, the two of them were inseparable and were dubbed as the perfectly matched twosome. After graduating from high school, Mark was accepted at an out of state university, while Keisha decided to attend a local college. They made a promise to remain faithful to each other, since they were planning to get married after graduation. Mark would see Keisha during the spring and summer breaks. But when she got pregnant, he thought she was carrying his child; so he dropped out of college to marry her. But then rumors started to surface; while Mark was away at college, Keisha was sleeping with his best friend Hank, and that the baby she was carrying wasn't Mark's. People in the neighborhood figured it out and started to wonder how a math wiz, like Mark, had miscalculated the month the child was conceived as to when it was born. It just didn't add up, because Keisha got pregnant while Mark was away at college. It was numerically and humanly impossible for Mark to have been the father. But when the baby was born, it was confirmed that Hank was the biological father. The fact that Keisha had betrayed Mark was bad enough, but for her to have slept with his best friend was too much for Mark to forgive or forget; so the marriage was annulled, and Mark went back to college to finish his studies. A couple of months later, Keisha and Hank got married, and the couple along with their daughter left New York for parts unknown. Mark never saw or heard from them. He often thought about the couple and wondered if they were still together but surmised if Keisha cheated on him, she was probably unfaithful to Hank. It was now getting late; Mark logged off of his computer and turned in for the night.

It had been a week since Mark posted his profile on the network. It was Saturday morning and snow had started to fall. He decided to stay in for the day and went on his computer to see if there were any responses to his posting. He received an e-mail with an attached photo. The message read as follows:

Hi Mark: My name is Misty, and your profile really touched me. I am 26 years old, very outgoing with a dynamic personality, and enjoy having fun, traveling, cooking and reading. Age is nothing but numbers; so the fact that you are in your 50s is a complete turn-on to me, because I love being spoiled and pampered by an older man. I am a licensed cosmetologist and plan to open my own spa shortly. After looking at your photo, it is hard to believe that you are over 50. You don't look a day over 30. Meeting and getting to know you would be my pleasure. I am temporarily residing in Arizona and plan to move soon. Looking forward to hearing from you. Bye and stay well. Until next time...Misty.

After reading that e-mail and looking at her photo, Mark could have been hit over the head with a cast iron pan and wouldn't have felt the pain. He felt like a schoolboy having his first crush. To say that Mark wasn't smitten by Misty's beauty would have been a false proclamation. She had the face of an angel and a body that could make a man's head turn in any direction, even if his head or neck was in an immobile brace. Just from that snapshot alone, Mark knew she was the woman for him; there was no doubt about it; Misty was going to be his soul mate. He immediately got back to her, and for the next couple of months, the two of them were e-mailing and chatting like two star struck lovers. But what Mark didn't see coming was that his obsession with finding love and bliss would bring about a diabolical plan that would wipe him out financially and leave him emotionally destroyed. And if the community was lacking in news, it was about to be hit with the biggest scandal that would keep folks buzzing, like bees making honey, for years to come.

Just about every other day, Mark and Misty were now talking to each on the telephone. Misty had mentioned that she was planning to purchase a spa in Albuquerque, New Mexico but needed help in deciding if investing in such a venture would be a good move. The asking price for the spa was one million dollars. The spa came with all the necessities needed for Misty to get started. The site was ideal, because it was a great tourist attraction. She wanted to purchase the business right out rather than take on a mortgage. Misty had half of the money and would borrow the balance. Mark had no experience with this type of venture, but thought it was a brilliant idea and wondered if relocating to New Mexico was the answer. He invited Misty to New York. They would discuss the project and come up with a plan. Misty promptly accepted his request. Mark purchased an open plane ticket for her, and she was due to arrive in New York in a couple of weeks.

Mark was getting the house ready for Misty's arrival. He went to the store to stock up on food and other items. For the first time, he didn't feel empty or lonely. When he got back home, there was a flyer in his door that read: Astrology Reading by Grace - Consults and advises on all matters such as love, marriage and business. All readings are private and confidential. What a coincidence; he thought. After all, he was about to take on a new love, a major business undertaking and a possible marriage. Was this a sign that his life was finally going in the right direction, he asked himself? Suddenly he became euphoric, and the next day he paid the woman a visit.

When Mark entered Grace's establishment, he was greeted by an elderly and cordial woman. She escorted him into a tiny room in the back of the storefront. Her specialty was palm, tarot and psychic readings, and examining numerology, crystal and astrology charts. Since this was Mark's first time visiting this type venue, he was baffled as to which readings to have. But Grace had put his mind at ease and asked what matters were of interest to him. Mark replied that he had just met the woman of his dreams; she was interested in buying a business and wanted to know what the future had in store for the two of them. Grace recommended that he have the special reading which cost $25.00. Mark agreed and handed her the money. Grace foresaw his fate and said: You are making the right decision when it comes to your love life; you will provide financial assistance to your mate whose name begins with the letter M; the salon she plans to buy will be successful beyond anyone's wildest dreams. After you sell your home, you will relocate somewhere in the southwest, get married and produce beautiful babies. Mark was completely flabbergasted and asked himself how could this woman have known all of this? She was right on the mark about the spa, the possible move to New Mexico and an imminent wedding. He thanked Grace, left feeling more jubilant and knew what he had to do.

Mark was expecting Misty to arrive in New York in a couple of days. He was planning to meet her at the airport. He was tidying up and putting the final touches in the guest room; suddenly the doorbell rang. When Mark went to open the door, he could have been knocked over with a feather. It was Misty. To say that Mark was in a state of shock was no lie. They hugged and kissed each other as though they were lovers who hadn't seen each other for years. He asked her why she didn't call him from the airport, and she replied: I wanted to surprise you. And a bolt from the blue it was. Nevertheless, both were elated to finally meet in person. Mark asked her how her flight went, and she replied it was a smooth and pleasant ride. They talked for awhile. He then showed Misty to her room to unpack and freshen up, before joining him downstairs.

Misty loved her room, and the fact that it had its own bathroom was very impressive. The house was elaborate; she figured that it could sell for at least $400,000.00. And Mark was as handsome in person as he was in his photo; she thought to herself. But from all Mark's emails, chats and phone conversations, Misty read him like a novel; she recognized he would go to any length to have her in his life; she observed the desperation in his face, understood his body language and concluded Mark would be an easy mark. She was ready to put her diabolical scheme into action.

While Misty was up in her room, Mark was preparing dinner. He could not remember being this happy. When he saw and embraced Misty, he finally felt the sparks and the love connection, the kind of emotional bond that he never experienced, even with his first love Keisha. Mark thought about what the astrologist predicted; she definitely got it right; Misty was going to be his wife. Mark was an excellent cook; he could have been a chef. Perhaps when Misty opens her spa, he could prepare gourmet meals for her clients; he had so many bright ideas about the business and couldn't wait to share them with her.

Dinner was almost ready. Misty smelled the aroma coming from the kitchen and came dashing down the stairs. She wore an outfit which screamed make love to me! When Mark saw her, he wanted to carry her up into the bedroom and make passionate love to her. But Mark remembered from his conversations with Misty, she did not believe in pre-marital sex and was saving herself until she got married. Besides, Mark was old school. He was raised to never make sexual advances towards a woman, unless she makes the move first. But little did Mark know; that move was never going to happen. The both of them sat down and started to eat. Misty complimented Mark on his exquisite meal. After dinner, Misty offered to help with the cleanup, but being the gentleman he was, Mark declined. Before long he joined Misty, and they chatted for hours. At times they would laugh, kiss and hold hands. As Mark gazed at Misty, there was a familiarity about her; she reminded him of Keisha.

Just like Mark had talked about his life, Misty conversed about her years growing up in Arizona with her mother who was divorced from Misty's father. He was a retired serviceman and was living in Alaska with his current wife. She didn't have much contact with her dad. And she was on bad terms with her mother. They hadn't spoken or seen each other for years. After graduating from high school, she attended cosmetology school and then went on to acquire her license. For the next several years, she worked as a consultant at high-end department stores where she did makeup application and skin care maintenance for their customers. Misty decided she wanted to start her own business by purchasing a spa from a business associate in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The spa would provide a line of cosmetic and skin care products, workshops in applying makeup and preserving a healthy and youthful looking skin, body wraps, hair styling, etc. There was no limit as to how much this spa could offer. She told Mark she was the beneficiary of a $500,000.00 insurance policy and would use this money as a down payment. She showed the prospectus to Mark; he read through it and quickly signed on to help her. When Mark said that he would relocate to New Mexico, Misty quickly said that she knew of a real estate agent who could find the ideal house for the two of them. This was the same agent who was handling the property where the spa was located. Mark figured that he would cash in his stock and bonds to help cover the remaining cost of the spa. He would than put his house on the market. And the proceeds from the sale of his house could be put down on a new home in Albuquerque. Mark told Misty that he would contact his broker and have a check made out to her, and she could go ahead with the purchasing of the spa.

It was Monday, and Mark called his broker and gave him instructions to sell everything in his portfolio and cut a check payable to his fiancée. The broker congratulated Mark and took care of the matter. The check arrived in a couple of days. He asked Misty to come into the living room and proposed to her. Misty, with a fake surprise on her face, accepted his proposal to marry him. He then handed her an envelope which had a check in it for $500,000.00; this was her engagement gift. She kissed him and said: thank you my love; you don't realize how happy you've made me! Mark said: I do, because you've made me the happiest man on earth.

Misty mailed the check to her agent. She told Mark it would probably take a couple of months for all the details to be iron out and to transfer ownership of the spa to her. In the meantime, Mark had contacted his agent regarding the sale of his home and was willing to come down on the price if the agent could find a buyer immediately. The real estate agent had scheduled an open house for potential buyers. Meanwhile, Mark and Misty had been celebrating their engagement and business venture. They were eating out just about every other day and were checking out some of the local nightclubs and playhouses. They attended a couple of festivals and did some shopping at the strip mall. They were kissing, laughing, holding hands and acting like teenagers going out on their first date. To say the two of them weren't having the time of their lives would have been false.

Soon rumors started traveling around the community that Mark was seen flaunting around town with a woman who was young enough to be his daughter. Some went as far to say: he was her sugar daddy. But those who know him well couldn't believe that he would get involved with someone half his age. A few thought that Mark was going through a mid-life crisis and was just a passing phase. Many of the women he dated in the past wanted to know how he met this female, and where did she come from, all of a sudden. But when folks found out that Mark and Misty were engaged and planned to move to New Mexico, everyone was at a lost for words. It was like the cat had gotten their tongues. But soon those tongues would be wagging faster than a dog's tail.

The real estate agent had found a potential buyer for Mark's house. They were a couple with two children. The wife was a stay at home mom, and the husband was the CEO of a well known technology company. They walked through the house and fell in love with it immediately. It was the ideal place for a growing family. The couple bid $425,000.00 for the house; the offer was accepted, and the couple was now the proud owners of a beautiful home. Mark and Misty had two months to vacate the house. Misty decided to return to Albuquerque to check on the spa and scout around for a new house. Mark felt this was a good idea, since it would take time for him to tie up loose ends.

A week later, Misty had emailed Mark that she had found a beautiful 3 bedrooms, 3 baths condo in a luxury gated community, which was within walking distance from the spa. The asking price was $390,000.00. It had a private courtyard, a balcony overlooking the city; there was tile throughout the place; the spacious kitchen was equipped with steel appliances, granite countertops with tile backsplash, alder custom cabinets; there were solid stained wood doors, a 23 ft. foyer, roof tile and many more fine amenities. Mark saw an attached video of the house and was extremely pleased with Misty's choice; she had an eye for beauty and taste, he thought to himself. As long as Misty loved the place and was happy, that was all that mattered to him. A week later, Mark mailed her a cashier check for $410,000.00; the extra money would be used for closing costs and purchasing furniture and other bits and pieces for the condo.

The new owners had finally moved into Mark's home, and Mark was staying at the YMCA until he was ready to leave. It had been a couple of weeks since he heard from Misty. He figured that she was busy getting the spa ready for its grand opening and furnishing and decorating the condo. He decided to call her, but the number was disconnected. Of course he surmised that she was probably at the condo, but he neglected to get the phone number of the real estate agency that was handling the sale. He went online and sent an e-mail, but she never replied. He wrote a letter to the address where he had mailed the check, but one month later, the letter came back marked unclaimed. He had no idea where the condo was. For all he knew, it could have been in Timbuktu.

It was now two months and Mark hadn't heard a word from Misty. He decided to call and file a missing person's report with the Albuquerque police department. After he explained the circumstances, the policeperson knew right away that Mark was the victim of a scam. Finding this con artist would be difficult or next to impossible. There wasn't much the Albuquerque police could do, because they didn't have much to go on; after all, Mark knew nothing about this woman. He met her in cyberspace, fell for her and ended up inviting her to his home, only to discover that Misty wasn't her real name. The police advised Mark to file a complaint with the Attorney's General Office and to hire a private investigator. Mark had enough money to pay his rent but barely had any money left to pay bills; he certainly didn't have the resources to hire a private eye. Mark couldn't believe how stupid he was to have been taken in by such a conniving she-devil. He sat there in his room and started to shake, scream, and cry hysterically, until he fell asleep.

It didn't take long for the neighbors to get whim of Mark's mess. But the biggest shock came when a local newspaper published an article along with a photo that looked like Misty, who was wanted in a couple of sates and abroad for fraud, identity thief and impersonating a female. The expose implied that up to now, no one had been able to really identify him because he used countless disguises; that photo was the last known image of him, and if anyone had any information, to contact the police. The gossip was non-stop. People couldn't understand how Mark could not differentiate between a male and a female. Many wondered if he was questioning his own sexuality and was in the experimental stage. Some went as far to say that he went both ways. But what folks didn't know was that Mark never slept with Misty. He never even saw her naked. Every time Mark saw her, she was made up and completely clothed. Her hair color was different from the color in the newspaper. She had an air of secrecy and left everything to one's imagination, and these were the attributes which he loved the most about Misty. In his mind, she was a female, because there were never any clues that she wasn't.

When Mark saw the photo and read that article, he became emotionally and physically ill. People would look at him as though he was an alien from outer space. Some of his neighbors felt sorry for him, and a few stopped speaking to him. A few of the women he dated couldn't stop talking about or laughing at Mark. They joked about his intent to marry a younger woman who turned out to be a man has the icing on the cake. It was as though these ladies were getting their revenge, because Mark didn't find them desirable, but fell for what he thought was a sweet young thing or a young man's darling; instead she ended up being an old man's boy toy. It was poetic justice; the women concluded.

As Mark looked back on his life, he believed it was a self-fulfilling prophecy that he was betrayed once again. In hindsight, all the signs were there that told him he was being setup by a double-crossing individual. But he was so obsessed with finding love and happiness that all of his common sense and instincts were obliterated by blind love. He asked himself what was it about him that made people like Keisha and Misty used him in such a despicable matter. The answer to that question would probably take years to answer, but Mark believed that misfortunes happen for a reason, and perhaps he could help others to avoid the costly mistakes he made. He made up his mind to pick up the pieces and go on with his life. It wasn't going to be easy. He considered going back to teaching or starting a tutoring in math program. The opportunities were endless.

One day, on his way home from shopping, Mark happened to pass Astrology Reading by Grace; in the window was a sign that read storefor rent. Mark just stood there for a minute, laughed out loud and headed home.