Yesterday South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, 49, held a press conference in which he admitted to, not just being in Argentina instead of the Appalachian Trail hiking, but that he was in Argentina ending an affair. The newspaper that first uncovered the evidence, The State, later released a series of emails between the two that showed how the deep the emotions ran.
While romantic and steamy, the emails were not overly erotic. The paper redacted the woman's full name and address, but her first name was noted as Maria. Meanwhile, other sites have posted her name: Maria Belen Shapur, who works for Bunge y Born, a multinational agribusiness and grain trading corporation. She is reportedly fluent in English, Portuguese and Chinese.
Additionally, Maria Belen Chapur is 43, lives in an upper middle class area of Buenos Aires (the apartment complex is reportedly pictured above). She is divorced and lives with her sons, local news said.
Here's a portion of one of the steamy love emails, this one from Sanford to Maria:
I have been specializing in staying focused on decisions and actions of the head for a long time now — and you have my heart. You have oh so many attributes that pulls it in this direction. Do you really comprehend how beautiful your smile is? Have you been told lately how warm your eyes are and how they softly glow with the special nature of your soul. I remember Jenny, or someone close to me, once commenting that while my mom was pleasant and warm it was sad she had never accomplished anything of significance. I replied that they were wrong because she had the ultimate of all gifts — and that was the ability to love unconditionally. The rarest of all commodities in this world is love. It is that thing that we all yearn for at some level — to be simply loved unconditionally for nothing more than who we are — not what we can get, give or become. There are but 50 governors in my country and outside of the top spot, this is as high as you can go in the area I have invested the last 15 years of my life — my getting here came as no small measure because I had that foundation of love and support so critical to getting up in the morning and feeling you could give and risk because you already had a full tank of love in the emotional bank account. Since our first meeting there in a wind swept somewhat open air dance spot in Punta del Este, I felt that you had that same rare attribute. Above all else I love that inner beauty about you. That gift of yours is going to make a tremendous difference in (The State deleted sons’ names) life — and in anyone’s life who is blest to be touched by yours — you need to rest very comfortably in that fact. As I mentioned in our last visit, while I did not need love fifteen years ago — as the battle scars of life and aging and politics have worn on this has become a real need of mine. You have a particular grace and calm that I adore. You have a level of sophistication that is so fitting with your beauty. I could digress and say that you have the ability to give magnificently gentle kisses, or that I love your tan lines or that I love the curves of your hips, the erotic beauty of you holding yourself (or two magnificent parts of yourself) in the faded glow of night’s light — but hey, that would be going into the sexual details we spoke of at the steakhouse at dinner — and unlike you I would never do that!
Yesterday, Sanford indicated that his wife, Jenny, has known of the affair for five months, and that two weeks ago she asked him to leave. Mark Sanford said he wants to reconcile, and a statement by his wife said her husband may have earned that chance.
“This trial separation was agreed to with the goal of ultimately strengthening our marriage.”
Some have asked for Sanford to resign; that is still an open question.
Comment and add to the story without registration, but keep the comments meaningful please. Links are not accepted.
