Karsten Johnson, the lovelorn man searching for the girl with a "face like a flower," hasn't heard from her. But women - and men - are interested.
By LANE DeGREGORY
Published August 11, 2003
Is it you?
He's looking for the girl of his dreams. Were you at Kathy's deli in Largo on July 23?
LARGO - His phone started ringing at 7:30 a.m. Karsten Johnson was in the shower, getting ready for work. He heard the message machine pick up. "Maybe it's her," he thought.
Not.
Bubba the Love Sponge from 98 Rock radio had seen Karsten's story in the paper. He was calling to talk about the woman in the deli. He said he wanted to help Karsten find that girl. "Yeah, right!" Karsten thought. He let the tape take the teasing.
A few minutes later, his mom called. She loved the picture. "You look great!" she said. "Don't worry."
Karsten had tried to prepare himself. But this was so fast, so much, so early. Geez, it wasn't even 8 and already the whole world knew about his love life - or lack thereof.
A couple of Sundays ago, Karsten bought an ad in the St. Petersburg Times classifieds, just 11 lines, no box. A personal plea to a woman he had locked eyes with over a Cuban sandwich, someone he had seen for only a few seconds at a deli, a stranger whose name he didn't know, whose eye color he couldn't remember, whose face he couldn't forget.
"TO THE GIRL with a face like a flower . . ." he wrote. He included his phone number. He hoped she would call.
* * *
I called instead.
Last Monday, the Times published an article about Karsten's mission to find his mystery woman. It included an enlargement of his ad and a photo of Karsten standing in front of the Largo deli.
The story said he was single. It gave his bio: Age: 33; Height: 6 feet 5; Weight: 205 pounds. Occupation: Marketing for yacht-building company. Hobbies: Wakeboarding, sailing, gardening.
At the end, I printed my phone number and e-mail. Karsten's home number was in the ad.
That Monday, a dozen readers called me and 20 more sent e-mails.
Karsten's phone rang until after 10 p.m. He got 41 calls. Some of their offers, he'd rather not repeat. A couple, he says, he can't refuse.
* * *
"Hey, Sweetheart!" a throaty, middle-aged man breathed in one message to Karsten. "My name is Steve. I saw your picture in the paper. I don't have a face like a flower. But your story said you were adventurous. . . ."
Another man just had to know what happened. "I can relate to what you did," the man said. "Let me know how it turns out."
Another man offered a darker view of romance: "Grow up, kid!" the gruff voice ordered over Karsten's answering machine. "You're going to be old and gray, Buddy, before that b-- calls you. Take it from me. I'm in my late 40s. They're all the same."
"That guy had a lot of issues," Karsten said.
Most of the messages were from women. Older women who wished they were young. Young women who wanted to meet him.
A manicurist. A medical technician. A 28-year-old divorcee. A woman with a Russian accent. A nurse who said her co-workers dared her to call. "I'm blond, tall like you, 5 foot 8," she said. "I'm single. I'm in my early 40s. I'm on my way to the gym. So if I spark your interest, please give me a call. . . . ."
Katrina left a message wishing Karsten luck, wishing there were a "million other guys like you out there who would go to that kind of romantic extent."
Many women asked me to pass on messages for them. Tami, 37, e-mailed to tell Karsten she has blue eyes, dirty-blond naturally curly hair, and enjoys bike riding, reading, watching the Gators and NASCAR. Jen, who signed her e-mail, "31, still single," was wondering "if it would count if I was in a sub shop north of there."
And an attractive attorney e-mailed her photo: "I'm not the girl from the deli, but your article got my attention!" wrote Mary, Esq. "First, I do hope that Karsten finds his flower-faced girl. . . . But in case she isn't THE ONE, I decided to be bold and respond. I am a 35-year-old, single attorney in St. Pete. . . . I've met many very nice men and had lots of fun, but . . . ."
A woman in a troubled marriage wrote that she was glad to see love is still alive somewhere.
And at Karsten's house, the calls kept coming. One woman has a nice neighbor Karsten really should meet. An elderly woman thinks Karsten is brave and promised to pray for him.
And a 60-something woman said there were places besides Ybor City where a nice boy like him could meet some nice, single girls. "I don't know if you've ever thought about going to church, but. . . . ." She said she's in a singles group at Calgary Baptist in Clearwater. "We have coffee and doughnuts. We even have a band. It's quite a group."
* * *
Karsten called back the woman with the promising neighbor. Alas, the caller said, she herself is too old for Karsten. But her neighbor is much younger.
Only 60.
Karsten thanked the woman. He shook his head, thinking about lonely old ladies.
He might call a couple of the others. The lawyer. Maybe the nurse.
He's pretty sure he'll call the woman with the Russian accent.
She said her name is Julia. "I am not the girl from the deli," she said. But she knew him.
"I looked at the story and I recognized your face. "I have seen him,' I said. So I read the story."
The story said Karsten had recently promised himself he would be bolder about asking women out. He made that vow in April, he said, after seeing his little sister get married.
"Your sister married some Swedish man, yes?" the Russian woman said in her message. "I was there, that night. I was bartending. I saw you. So now I am calling."
Karsten remembered the woman, too. "I remember her being kind of cute," he said. "I guess I'll have to follow up on that one."
* * *
It's been a week since the story ran, two weeks since the ad. The flower-faced girl still hasn't shown.
Did she see his ad? Did she see the story? Did she see his picture and read about him and realize she's not interested?
Maybe she'll see this story and be moved by the competition.
"I haven't been back to that deli since the day I first saw her," Karsten said. "But I'm going back this week. I'm not giving up. I'm not waiting for the phone to ring anymore. But maybe she'll come back in there one day.
