Some men find it difficult to say, "I love you," but in Bert Salva's case, what was tough was getting Mary Shiminsky‑‑the object of his affection‑‑to really believe him. For almost four years Bert courted Mary but didn't get anywhere. Actually, what he got was a clear message, "Get lost, Buddy, I never want to see you again." To make the message more explicit, Mary changed her phone number, and moved in with her parents who live in an isolated area and left no forwarding address.
