Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the last romantic : second extract

For Antoine, Buenos Aires' sole attraction was its nightlife. He was to be seen at parties all over the city every night. In the early 1930s, he met a ravishing young woman from El Salvador called Consuelo Sonsin at an elegant soiree. He was instantly bowled over by her exotic looks and playful sense of humor. She was the total opposite of the upper-middle class girls who had so unceremoniously rejected him. The widow of a South American writer, she was herself a painter, writer, and sculptor, and given to fantastical notions. Of course, he invited her to come for a spin in a plane. For the wedding, Antoine left Buenos Aires and went back to France. He was now 30. Consuelo was dazzled by this unconventional famous man with his talent for writing. He was excessively serious. He didn't like to talk, and he was a little shy. They were married on April 12th, 1931.