In pursuit of a beautiful Sardinian.

Sardinians are more curious than nosey. That’s my opinion. But not necessarily the opinion of my Italian/Sardinian girlfriend. She thinks of her fellow countrymen as too nosey when they inquire whether I’m a relative. ‘No,’ she says, ‘just a friend.’ She’s too polite to call ‘em nosey to their faces. The curiosity level rises when the clerk in the store over-hears me speaking English. A sign that I am not Italian. Some even wonder if my girlfriend is really Italian, despite her mastery of the Italian language. Again, I think it's the curiosity factor. Maybe my assumption is positive because I am trained to be curious. I often ask personal questions. Not out of prying, but because I genuinely want to know people. Even strangers. I was shy long ago. But I overcame the malady when I became a newspaper reporter. My job was to inquire. To know. To ask questions. I am retired now. But I keep probing. And I like it when others probe, too. I automatically assume they’re curious. My girlfriend disagrees. On occasion, she wishes I and other people minded their own business. However, I am naïve enough to think that Sardinians want to know if I’m the boyfriend. Because that would make them happy. To have stumbled across a fellow romantic idealist. In pursuit of the most beautiful and intelligent Sardinian in Paradise. –Jim Broede