Spanish Rendezvous

The season was summer, the country was Spain, and the experience was unforgettable! I embarked on a trip to Barcelona with a study abroad group. Nervous, shy, and cautious were my only companions on the plane. We were to meet at famous landmark, Plaza Catalunya. Timidly, I entered the plaza at high noon. The sun blazed down, making me sweat uncontrollably. “Deep breath in and out!” During professor’s announcements, I anxiously scanned the group. I was a bundle of nerves, as I realized I knew no one. I worried about being a loner. I prayed that I would click with my roommate. Hot and uncomfortable; turmoil settled in the pit of my stomach.

But when I laid eyes on him, my concerns melted. My body went numb and I had no cares. Before me stood the most attractive man I had ever seen. His presence gave me a euphoric sense of comfort. He smiled generously; his eyes glistened like amber. I smiled back, dazed and sweaty.

Suddenly, the sun shined gloriously; bright like a diamond! His body was superb; his face so handsome! His skin was sun kissed, and he was perfectly groomed. His shirt fit snug on his biceps. His lips appeared soft and gentle. I bet he smelled lovely!

Distracted in fantasy, I had no idea the announcements had ended. Everyone was gone, including my mystery man! I stood alone, perspiration getting the best of me. Headed to the bunk, I was a mess.

In the bunk, I met Andrea, my roommate. She was a pretty girl, wearing UCLA insignia, just like me! Unlike me, she was confident. She chatted a mile a minute and had everything planned out! She was super animated! “We were meant to be roommates!” She declared! She spoke frivolously about her best friend Cammie, from her hometown in Virginia. “Cammie’s meeting me here tonight! We haven’t seen each other since high school! This is our summer! I’m ready to tear it up!” she commanded.

Wow! I thought, in a whirlwind. This Cammie must be super crazy like Andrea. These two seemed like party girls!

Andrea’s energy was contagious! She brought me out of my shell. While we waited for Cammie, she got a little dorm party started up! She and I celebrated. We fought jet lag, but we were pumped! Thankfully, Andrea and I were becoming fast friends! We had music playing and wine flowing. Now that we were in Spain, we called wine sangria! We were so fancy! We shared some special dance moments! Caught up and slightly tipsy, I invented a new twerk, tootsie roll, hybrid dance move. I’m still embarrassed over it.

Cammie knocked! Feeling good, sangria in hand, I kept dancing and shimmying as I opened the door for her. “Hey girl!” I exuded in jest!

Surprisingly, there was no girl! No Cammie! It was him! My mystery man! He stood at my door with an entertained smile. Confused, “Hello?” Suddenly, Andrea rushed past me in haste. “Cammie! I love you! You’re here!” smothering him in a salacious hug. I stood disoriented.

After my mystery man peeled Andrea off him, he kindly introduced himself. “I’m Cameron.” Embarrassed, I stumbled for words. Andrea cut in. “Sorry, he likes to be called ‘Cameron’ now! So sophisticated!” Then she turned to him, spewing off their plans for the trip! He outstretched his hand to me; it was warm and masculine. “I saw you earlier in the plaza.” He remembered me! He joined our party for a bit; Andrea mostly monopolized him, and I unpacked. A gentleman, he excused himself for bed. With a smirk, he locked eyes with me, “I liked your dance moves.” I waved, “Bye” with glazed eyes.

"That’s Cammie?” I exclaimed!

“Yeah girl, Cameron! I love him! We went to prom together!” Whispering, “We lost our virginity together too!” She confided that she had heavy romantic feelings for him. “We lost touch in college, but now it’s our time!” She even planned to marry him! “We’re getting back together! That’s why he came on the trip. Wanna look at wedding dresses tomorrow?” Stunned, I resumed my sangria.

The Trip

We visited Parc Guell, an artistic haven created by Antoni Gaudi. I ogled at its beauty while Andrea ogled over Cameron! She dominated his attention; hovering. She overwhelmed, but he handled it graciously. He was kind and patient; very gentile. He opened doors and was sensitive to our needs. It was refreshing. He was a gentleman.

Turns out, Cameron was a University professor and track coach! “That explains the killer bod” I mused. He lived in Washington D.C. So professional, I thought. His confidence was impressive. He wasn’t just a pretty face. This man had substance and good looks! Too bad he was taken by my only friend.

After the tour, everyone was tired, but Andrea looked downright delirious! She was jet lagged and needed sleep. Andrea went home early, leaving Cameron and I to explore.

That night with him, time passed easily. Our chit chat morphed into giggles and laughs, smiles and sangria, and paella. Our personalities clicked! Delirious, tipsy, and jet lagged, we wandered into a dark alley; he reached for my hand. He spoke sheepishly, “I hope you don’t have a boyfriend, because I want to get to know you,” his voice so earnest. “Aren’t you engaged to Andrea?”

Astonished, he reacted! “No! We ended a long time ago! She’s a great friend, but that’s it!” he whispered. “Last night I found her naked in my bed!” Stunned, I resumed my sangria.

He admitted he didn’t want to hurt Andrea, but he had no intentions of marrying her. I couldn’t help it, I was attracted to him. I was happy that he was interested in me too! I also felt bad because I just met Andrea. I liked her. I didn’t want her to hate me! As dawn approached, I thought, It’s been less than 24 hours, and I’m already stuck in the middle of a love triangle!This could get messy.

The next day at the wedding shop, I beamed with butterflies. She radiated in the gown! What kind of friend could I be to her? I left Andrea with the dressmaker for measurements. Introspectively, I navigated back to the bunk. Suddenly from behind, Cameron attacked me! He wrapped me a in a bear hug and kissed me on the cheek! It felt awesome. “Cameron! What are you doing? She’ll see us! She’s in the wedding shop! Looking for a dress for yourwedding!”

We ducked into a back alley. I exhaled as he held me protectively. I rested my head on his heart, nuzzled against his neck. It felt so warm; soft. His hands cradled my head, stroked my hair. Face to face, “Can I kiss you?” He whispered. I tried to stay calm, but it I couldn’t! My heart raced. I wanted to drown him in kisses and scream aloud that he was my mystery man! He was chocolate, I was vanilla, and together we’d be a chocolate dipped cone!

And it was the sweetest little kiss ever!

We hid our romance from Andrea. We cavorted in secret for weeks! I felt awful, with a pit in my stomach. I wanted to tell her, but I chickened out. My cowardice initiated our secret rendezvous! Every night at dusk, we snuck off into the colorful avenues! We explored each other in darkness as the city lit our journeys. We sipped cocktails, kissed, and cuddled in the Spanish tea houses. Our favorite music was Spanish reggae! Our drink was sangria and our favorite dish was paella! Our affairs surfaced at nightfall and ended at dawn!

I wondered. “Is it an affair if they’re not together?”

We were so crazy infatuated! To celebrate our relationship, we arranged a romantic trip to the island of Ibiza. I couldn’t hide my excitement! And soon enough, Andrea’s intuition manifested. She realized she lost him. Things became awkward. Our friendship disbanded. I felt awful; she had her whole life planned around marrying him!

That night, we came upon her in the square. We hid so she wouldn’t see us. We didn’t want to rub our relationship in her face! Andrea was all alone, face buried in her hands, sobbing and broken. It was a sad sight. She was abandoned, in a foreign country, with no one to care for her. I felt heartless. I won the guy, but hurt her in the process. The next day, she left for home. We never spoke again.

Soothing our guilt, Cameron and I justified our actions. We had one life to live and we vowed not to squander it! We had to move on! With her gone, we had no more blood on our hands.

Our last night in Barcelona was idyllic. We wandered the main paseo, La Rambla, and ate candlelight dinner. The usual; pizza for me, seafood paella for him!

We were ready for our rendezvous! Excited to romance freely, we had no idea what was in store!

Ibiza, Spain

Ibiza was oddly deserted and slightly eerie. Cameron was severely jet lagged, so we took a nap before dinner. He snored heavily! Meanwhile I dreamed blissfully, anticipating our tryst! Eager for our night out, I woke him with a kiss on the cheek and a big hug! I never expected him to be clammy and discolored. Exhausted, he laid in a pool of sweaty sheets. Confused, “You’re all wet!” He assured me he was fine. Then, he spent an hour in the restroom. How embarrassing for him, I thought. Flatulence and romance do not mix!

He needed privacy. So I visited the concierge for details on the island’s nightlife! I couldn’t wait to dance with him as a couple!

I returned to the room, tour pamphlets in hand! I couldn’t wait to see him dressed and ready for dinner! Instead, I found him moaning, on the bathroom floor, fetal position! I cringed at the sight, dropped my tour booklets! “What the heck?” I forcefully spoke his name. “Cameron!” His eyes fluttered. Then I realized, his shirt was stained with vomit! I tried not to gag but couldn’t help it. “What did you eat?” I shrieked!

With all his energy, he muttered, “The…see…food…paella.”

Gagging, I dragged him off the floor. 200 pounds of pure muscle was no easy feat! But it was worth it for my new honey! He drank water, took deep breaths, and regained color. Cameron was conscious, but he needed medical attention.

As we drudged our way to a clinic, he couldn’t stop apologizing. He mumbled “I’ll make it up to you. I promise.” I held him even tighter and more protectively. As we traversed the city streets, the nightlife crept to life. I never expected our first excursion to be at a medical clinic! Oh well.

At the clinic, Cameron checked in at the window. Surely he just needed some medicine. He was young and healthy. What could go wrong?

Suddenly, the world went silent—slow motion. Then, Cameron toppled like timber! His entire body collapsed in a split second! His body hit the tile hard, making a huge thump! “Oh my God!” I screamed! The nurses and I rushed to his aid! My Cameron laid passed out, pale, and incoherent! He laid lifeless, unconscious! He seized! His eyes rolled to the back of his head! His lips turned a dark shade of purple! Then, he seized even more! Panicked, “Holy shit! Is he going to die right here? What is happening?” It was horrible and terrifying!

We dragged his body to the nearest wheelchair. He was dead weight! We hoisted him up in the wheelchair, inspected him. It required all our effort!

“What happened? Where am I?” he asked. Thank God he was awake!

“We’re in Ibiza; you fainted!” I whispered.

“I’m okay. I’m fine,” he ascertained. He opened his eyes, took a deep breath, shook his head to clarity. “I promise. I’m okay,” he whispered. His hair was soaked! His face was dripping, and his t-shirt was sopping wet! His pants were also wet, with urine! Cameron was completely drenched, head to toe!

But that wasn’t all! My eyes diverted to the ground beneath him. I stood in silence for a moment, wondering if my eyes deceived me! Unfortunately, my eyesight is 20/20!

On the floor, a huge mound of feces spread where he had just laid!

Silenced by the sight, I froze! My stomach turned. My eyes watered. I gagged, then started crying! Cameron watched me in confusion, until he looked, and saw for himself! Cameron’s feces laid before him! Humiliated, he shouted! “NO…!” Heaving and spitting up, he buried his face in his hands! His shoulders hunched. Cameron sobbed like a child; he was mortified!

Heading to the hospital was a blur! But one thing was clear, as far as our relationship was concerned. Things were getting serious! There’s nothing like a mound of bodily fluids, and excrement, to solidify a union!

As he laid unconscious in critical care, I called his dad. He questioned, “Should I get a flight?” I had no idea. I wasn’t equipped to make such decisions. I also had no response when he asked where Andrea was. It was a sting. I felt numb. I wondered if this was payback for hurting her? Remorse filled my heart.

Cameron spent four nights in the hospital, and I slept right beside him. Turns out it was a vile strain of food poisoning. I fed him and gently nursed him. It felt amazing to care wholeheartedly. I gave him all of me. Our last night, he asked me to be his girlfriend! I overflowed with love. I nodded, “Absolutely” and smothered him with kisses! I was happy for our togetherness, but I never expected to become his girlfriend while he laid in a hospital bed, in that condition.

Let’s face it, our romantic escapade was a disaster! But it was worth it. Our ordeal created a bond much deeper than skin deep. Much deeper than night clubs and sangria could provide! Cameron’s near-death experience proved that we could endure anything! Our relationship had gone from infatuated fantasy to absolute reality! I just knew this was the real thing!

Leaving Spain was bittersweet. I was happy to be Cameron’s girlfriend, but I was dying to go home! At the airport, we said goodbye, kissed, hugged, and vowed to maintain our long-distance relationship. He spoke with sadness and lethargy. “I’m sorry. I’m so embarrassed…Thank God you took care of everything; the paperwork, calling my dad. I could never repay you.” He appeared distracted and defeated. He couldn’t look me in the eye. Then, he broke down. I held him tightly, like a child. He sobbed. Comforting him, I rubbed his back, rocked back and forth.

“Don’t worry, we’ll make new memories.”

We parted at the airport and our story ended there. Our red-hot romance ended as quickly as it began. I never saw him or spoke to him again! My guess is that he was embarrassed. I called but he never answered. I wrote and he never returned. Cameron continued his life in Virginia and never looked back. I never expected him to abandon me like that, but sometimes, “Shit happens!” Since then, I vowed to never eat paella again, and I damned the day that he ate it in Barcelona!

I have no photos from our romance in Ibiza and I heard he’s married to Andrea now.

Notes:

Sangria is an alcoholic drink originating from Spain and Portugal. It consists of red wine and chopped fruit.

Paella is a native Spanish dish consisting of rice and any variety of meats and vegetables.