Not your Prince Charming |hiatus

Capítulo Uno ~ Savannah

You can do this. You want to go to Spain.
By yourself.
Outside the terminal window, is the plane that will take me to Barcelona. Thirty minutes until they board first class. As if a big reclining seat and hot towels could make me forgive my mom faster.

My hands cramp from white-knuckling the folder of documents my mother gave me when she dropped me off. I open the folder to find at least two dozen papers tied up together. I pull the bunch of papers out to examine them.

Everything seems very much boring until I find an envelope. What gets me attracted is the bright pink cover with a heart drawn in the middle. No, I don't have a boyfriend. It's Melannie. One of the very few people I trust. I don't know what makes her draw those hearts on every thing she gives me. I had an afternoon talk show with my parents—check, they are overly protective—regarding whether I was lesbian. Even after I had brought home two of my boyfriends. Ugh.

It contains a teeny tiny (three-fourth of my palm)journal. The first page of the journal  is light red with Savannah's Spanish Summer in bubble letters nestled in the center. The next page is a note in her handwriting:

I know you are still angry this was all forced on you without much warning, but you are going to have a blast. YOU'RE GOING TO SPAIN!!! Think of all the fantabulous pictures you'll take! The food you'll eat! And the hot Spanish boys you'll meet! All I ask is that you bring back a magnet for my fridge (and maybe one of those hot Spanish boys).

Since I can't come with you on your super fun trip across Spain ( this is not sarcasm, it's jealousy),I've constructed a book of activities for you, all geared toward the documentation of your summer. The important thing is you have to do EVERYTHING I tell you to because I spent all freaking week making this for you.

Love you, and I'll maybe miss you!
-Melannie

My eyes stink. Looks like I won't have to be without her after all. I take a sip of my Sprite and rub my eyes before flipping to see my first task.

Assignment número Uno: The List
Make a list of ten things you want to do this summer in Spain. You have to complete them to the fullest before even thinking of setting a foot back in California. They can contain anything but I need proof you did those. Click photographs.

Make a list of ten things I wish to do. Ten. I haven't thought about anything except exploring and clicking pictures. Two words enough to contain my whole trip. The only things coming to my mind are fears. Accidentally doing something illegal...  embarrassing myself in front of locals. I shudder as I write:

* Learn flamenco
* Have a conversation with someone in only Spanish
* Do not make a fool of  myself in the public
*  Don't get arrested
* Swim in the Mediterranean Sea
* Dance till midnight in the feria-de-abril
* Surf in La Concha
* See Cuenca
* Get my picture taken at Aqueduct of Segovia

I read back through the list and sign at my lack of originality. I have to throw in something major. Something adventurous and crazy.

The Spanish couple behind me starts chatting and I close my eyes as the rhythm of their language washes over me. In only a handful of hours, I'll be immersed in a sea of people speaking this way. I'm not even there yet, and I know I'll miss it when summer ends. Not the confusion of the language, but the beauty of the way it sounds. If only there was a way to bottle it up and bring it back with me. That's when it strikes me.

I snicker out loud as my pen glides  across the page. My final goal:

* Fall in love.

With the beautiful cities of Spain as the backdrop for the love story.

( Hey peeps!!! This might seem a little confusing. The part in italics is what's in the journal and the normal one is the current situation. Don't worry, the coming chapters will be easier. Hope you enjoy the story.)