The Ludmila Confessions

Why am I marrying Agustin Lara?

Now, in my solitude, while trying to live a life of redemption in the winter of my life, I am finally learning that there is within me an invincible summer.

One night in the dressing room of the Canal 2 studio, the makeup lady was getting me ready for a live commercial where I was in a children Show as “Miss Pencil”. There were two chairs and as I took a cigarette from my Dunhill cigarette case and looked for a lighter, I suddenly saw a flame right in front of me. I looked again in the mirror, and there were his brilliant dark eyes, staring at me! I began trembling, astonished to see my idol Agustin Lara’s face, and his hand leaning forward to light my cigarette!

Of course, at that time every woman was crazy for the great composer of Granada!  He wrote the most incredible romantic songs for us. There was “Maria Bonita”, which was for Maria Felix who became his wife, and “Mujer”– what a sexy song!  Now I saw this man right next to me, the world famous romantic composer AGUSTIN LARA. Who hasn’t heard “Granada”– and he had never been to Spain when he wrote that incredible piece of music– I doubt if there is a person on this planet, that has not heard it! And “You Belong to my Heart” is still played in many places, in homes and on the radio. His show was coming on after mine finished, and he asked me so many questions I became confused. But his secretary/bodyguard was right around the corner, always somewhere nearby, so I gave him my hand and said “I will be sorry to miss your show, but I have an engagement, people are waiting to pick me up to go home and then we are going out of town…..”

He just looked at me with those dark romantic eyes, his long hands and fingers holding my hand so gently as he kissed it. He whispered with that deep romantic voice as he kissed my hand, “You cannot go, no! I will not be able to play if you go… after seeing your beauty, you must stay! I will take you home, it is only a half hour show, please!” Coming from him, this was not a mere request, it was a plea, and at the same time an order, I had to make a pledge at once………

Sitting in the front row, nervous and anxious to hear and see this genius perform, it did not matter that he was not a great singer. There was his soul pouring out from that piano! In this show, all that mattered was the performance– the curtain opened on a long black grand piano with a candelabra and a crystal glass full of his favorite drink, scotch, and one red rose lay on the piano keyboard! The spotlight was beaming down on his hands as he picked up the rose, kissed it and gently threw it to me! Then, very dramatically he started playing and singing, “mujer mujer divina tienes el encanto de un angel”– woman, divine woman, you possess the enchantment of an angel…”    what woman could resist?