Ralph was in his fifties when he met Natalie, a 49-year-old woman who had applied to be his maid. As soon as he met her, Ralph fell in love with her and courted her.
At first, Natalie is afraid of Ralph, thinking that her boss is just playing tricks on her. He talks to her constantly while she works, and Natalie thinks this is a test to see if she is easily distracted.
However, the more time Natalie spends with Ralph, the more she is drawn to him. The bond between them scares her, and she considers quitting her job.
As much as she wanted to stay away, she knew in her heart that she didn’t want to leave – she had feelings for Ralph too. But she knew they couldn’t be together, because Ralph was rich and she was a poor servant.
“We can never be together. This will be the talk of the town,” she thought. But the chemistry was undeniable and they began dating in secret.
“I know you feel it too, Natalie,” Ralph tells her one night as she sets the table for him to eat. Natalie gives him a long look, her eyes almost filled with tears.
“I know that, Ralph, you know that. But you also know that we can never be together – people won’t stop talking about us,” she replied.
“I don’t care what people will say. I love you and I want to be with you,” Ralph says, holding her hand.
Natalie wonders if she will accept his proposal to go out with him, but she suddenly remembers her daughter.
“You are one of the best businessmen in the area. Once people find out you’re dating a widow with a daughter, they won’t stop making headlines about you. I love you too much to save you from that kind of embarrassment,” Natalie told him.
The couple sat in silence for a few seconds until Natalie finally decided to follow her heart.
“I wish I could be with you,” she told him. “But maybe we should keep our relationship a secret for now.”
Ralph accepted her idea without question. All he wanted was to be with Natalie.
They started going to a café, which became one of their favorites. They spent every night there, eating and talking about life.
Because of this, Natalie came home late every day, and her daughter Mia began to suspect that she was hiding something. Soon after, neighbors told her that her mother had a lover, as they saw him dropping her off at her house several times already.
“A man in a luxury car was dropping her off. She is no longer young to be looking for a rich husband. What is she doing?” the neighbors said, trying to shame Natalie and her daughter.
This made Mia angry, because she thought her mother was embarrassing her.
“Why are you dating your boss?”, Mia asked her mother that night when she got home. “Do you know the whole neighborhood is talking about you?”
“I love him, Mia. I love him,” Natalie admitted. But Mia doesn’t believe it, and she thinks her mother wants the man’s money back.
“Please, you’re only after his money. This is embarrassing!”, Mia yelled. “If you continue this relationship, you will never see your granddaughter once she is born!”
Natalie cried herself to sleep that night.Her daughter was due to give birth next week and she couldn’t accept the thought that she wouldn’t see her granddaughter grow up.
After her granddaughter was born, Natalie decided to leave Ralph, but not before meeting one last time at their favorite coffee shop. Ralph also asks her to meet him, as he has something important to tell her.
But as Natalie took the bus to the café, she suddenly got cold feet. She realized she couldn’t resist giving in once she saw Ralph, so she didn’t go.
Ralph is certain that Natalie is the one he wants to spend the rest of his life with. Love instantly blossomed between them and every day they spent together was heaven for him.
He asked Natalie to join him at their favorite coffee shop because he was planning to propose to her. He was curious because Natalie told him she had something to say too.
Ralph waited for her all day, but Natalie never showed up. He looked all over the neighborhood for her, but never found her. He never saw Natalie again, and learned from their neighbors that they had left town without informing them of their location.
Determined to find Natalie, Ralph rented billboards throughout the city and along the highway stating:
“Natalie, I’ll be waiting for you at our favorite coffee shop every day at 7pm. I will love you forever, Ralph.”
And every day he waited for her in that café at 7 p.m. However, almost twenty years had passed, and Ralph was still waiting for Natalie at the same table.
One day, a woman sat across from him. He looked up and thought it was finally Natalie, but it was the waitress.
“I’m sorry, sir. I’ve noticed that you come in here every day like you’re waiting for someone. I just started working here, and I wanted to know your story,” she says politely.
Ralph smiled. “I’m expecting the love of my life, Natalie Stephens,” he replied calmly, and the waitress’s face paled in shock.
“Natalie Stephens? That’s my grandmother’s name!” she exclaims.
Ralph is stunned.
“That’s your grandmother? My Natalie? Where is she? How is she?”, Ralph asks, with tears in his eyes. “I’ve been waiting for her for almost twenty years,” he cried.
“Grandma moved to another town with my mom after I was born. Grandma stayed with Mom until she died two years ago. It’s always been me and my grandma, but I’m currently in town for college,” revealed the waitress, who introduced herself as Amanda. “My grandmother told me about your story. I never thought I would meet you here,” she admitted.
“Once, when Grandma was sick, she told me about you and regretted what happened. I was supposed to love and not be afraid of other people’s thoughts!” she told me. Grandma is much healthier now. I’ll take her to your house,” Amanda said, determined to get Ralph and Natalie back together.
Ralph couldn’t believe that he had run into Natalie’s granddaughter. He can’t stop the tears from flowing and asks her to help him find Natalie. Amanda promises that she will take Natalie back to town with her so that she and Ralph can be reunited.
That weekend, Amanda went home to pick up Natalie. They boarded the bus back to town, where Amanda guided Natalie to the coffee shop.
“Someone here has been waiting almost twenty years to see you again, Grandma,” Amanda said, looking toward Ralph’s table.
“Ralph?” shouted Natalie. “I can’t believe it! Is that really you?”
Ralph got up and walked slowly toward Natalie. It was like Amanda was watching a romantic movie. He hugged her tightly and let the tears flow.
“I thought I would never see you again,” he told her.
“I thought I would have to live with regrets for the rest of my life. I never should have left you,” Natalie told Ralph as they continued to kiss. “I’m glad we got to see each other again.”
After almost twenty years, Ralph and Natalie met again at the coffee shop that meant so much to their relationship. Amanda gave her grandmother her blessing to date Ralph, something Natalie never got from her late daughter Mia.
It was not too late for Ralph and Natalie to start living together again, and it was as if they were two teenagers in love. They never left each other’s side and spent the rest of their lives together.