Chapter 1
Oma
May the odds be ever in your favor…
“Oma, it’s been three months. It’s time you let the past go. Come out tonight! I have this guy,” I sigh and delete the voicemail my sister left without bothering to finish listening to it.
One does not just let it go.
Those words are only ever said by people whose lives have never imploded, or they’re just assholes. Both are true of my sister, and not even the thought of her heart being in the right place is going to make me go out so she can set me up with yet another loser man.
Again.
Nope, been there, done that, and have the t-shirt plus thousands in therapy bills to prove it.
Besides, I had a date with my laptop and a pint of ice cream that I just couldn’t cancel on again.
I was very aware that I would not be able to get over the bad luck if I stayed indoors all the time, but no one was going to tell me how to grieve my life but me.
Sighing, I toss the phone on my bed in my rented apartment that my parents graciously paid for a year and go to stand in front of the mirror. It was time for a pep talk before my next pity party.
“Okay, Oma, you’re twenty-six years old. Unemployed, single, and five college credits away from your master’s. You are better than this and need to get your ass in gear. First shower.” I sniff my pits and almost pass out.
How long has it been since I bathed?
The answer is enough to send me running to the shower. I stand under the steady stream of water and picture all my problems being washed down the drain, and by the time I’m brushing my damp hair in a clean pair of pajamas, I feel semi-human again.
Okay, this is a good start.
I make myself a cup of tea and then grimace at the state of my kitchen. Thirty minutes later, I’m tossing the first cup and making a fresh one with a deep, satisfied sigh as I survey my now clean apartment.
“Cleanliness is next to godliness.”
My grandmother’s words fill my head as I drop a huge glob of local honey into my steaming teacup and sip it slowly.
I glance at my laptop with a fresh look at life.
I’m clean, young, and now sitting in an apartment that isn’t going to be condemned or sanctioned by the city for potential violations from the EPA.
I’m on a roll!
I sit down with a small grin at my own mental thoughts as I start to work my way through months of emails. I had no idea that junk mail could get so aggressive. Terms like ‘account deletion for non-use’ or ‘account has been suspended’ were my every other topic.
“Who needs you anyway?” I mumble as I start deleting messages.
“Hmm, what is this?” I stop and open an email from my travel agent, otherwise known as my aunt.
Darling,
I know that you’ve been hiding away, licking your wounds, but these travel vouchers aren’t going to use themselves. Why not get away before they expire
You don’t need a husband to have a fantastic honeymoon.
XOXO
“Subtle,” I chuckle as I skim through the listings she gathered for me.
Shaking my head as I go to click on a European adventure, I glance at the amount on my account, seeing that the entire trip would be covered.
“Fuck it,” You only live once, right?
I read through the all-inclusive, paid eight-week trip starting in Greece and ending in Spain, just in time for San Fermín, which refers to the annual running of the bulls festival held in Pamplona.
“I’ve always wanted to see it.” I continue reading, and then an advertisement pops up with a big, fancy red WIN flashing at me.
Clicking it without much thought, I see it would extend my trip by almost two more weeks if I win. Feeling bold for the first time in ages, I book the trip and fill out the contest forms. I’ll already be there if I win, cool, if not, I’ll still see the start of the festival before coming home.
What’s the worst that could happen?
An email confirming my reservation and booking information comes in, followed quickly by a text message from my aunt. I open the text and laugh out loud at the series of GIFs she sends me.
One of a Matador shaking his ass at a bull.
A woman sipping a cocktail as a man in a g-string feeds her grapes on a beautiful beach.
The third makes me gasp and cover my mouth, reminding me why she’s my favorite aunt. A naked man massaging a woman, winking at the camera.
I put my phone down as my laptop dings with an email.
Subject line: CONGRATULATIONS
“No way,” I open the file and read, shocked that they picked a winner so damn fast.
I lift my phone up and text my aunt to make sure I’m not being scammed. It is her company and website after all, so she would know if these people were legit.
I won the San Fermín Plus package. Is this for real?
They only had twenty spots, and the contest was ending today. Let me check my records to see if you are listed.
I make another cup of tea while I wait anxiously for an answer. Strange that winning this is what has me excited since it’s such a small portion of a two-month trip, but my stomach is tied in knots waiting for my aunt’s reply.
BUZZ BUZZ
I reach for the phone vibrating on the counter and almost fumble it, trying to read the message as quickly as I can.
Well, it looks like today is your lucky day, Oma! You were the last name picked. Pack your bags, darling. XOXO
I look at the date on my phone and gasp.
“SHIT!” The trip starts in six days!
Way to go, Paloma.
Book a trip after months as a hermit and neglect to check the travel dates. I only let the panic set in for a moment before grabbing a pen and paper to make my to-do list.
1- Laundry
I glance at the pile that I think is moving. Might be better off used as kindling for a fire at this point.
2- Salon
I pinch my hair and look at my split ends, then glance at my toes. Might need to move that up to one.
3- Shop and Pack
I tap the pen and glance around for anything I could be forgetting, but I think that covers the basics to at least get me to Europe without turning heads or causing an international incident.
I smile as I stand and walk over to my nightstand to pull out my passport. This is the best I’ve felt in weeks. Who would have thought I’d be leaving on this adventure, all because of my disastrous bad luck?
“It’s nothing but up from here.”