Cowboy up

Here is a random story from 2005.

I was studying abroad and midterm break was coming up my bday fell upon the middle of this break and I insisted on spending it in Barcelona... we (my friend Anna from High School who was also studying abroad and I) had a week off which turned into 2 by events of the unimaginable.

We start off by negotiating that we'll spend a couple days in Nice, France- which you should put on your bucket list. A quick list of our adventures in Nice.

-Stayed in an old monestary...creepy with cheapo wine.
-Monte Carlo Casino- won a shit load of money proceeded to..
-teach a French lady to make a tequila sunrise...that became the drink of the day on her chalk board from maybe the 18th century
-Proceed to celebrate aka catch a ride on the gazillion $ yachts in a nearby port by skinny dipping
-Get nearly arrested by French police who pull our NAKED drunk asses out of the port
-Head to the Picasso museum in Atibes, France
-Hop the train back to Nice...
-Accidently find out the train is heading EAST to PISA, ITALY...2 other Americans made the same mistake on the train
-Hop off train in Ventamille, Italy. Drink some wine on the beach to wait for the train back WEST to Nice, France
- Get back to Nice. Grab our belongings/luggage out of storage lockers that almost were being closed down...(if closed would have lost our belongings for a 5 day trip ahead)
- Walk across the street for a bite to eat while we wait for a night train to Barcelona.
-Meet Jeff from San Fransico, Ca. Lunberjack company owner hot, buff, and into me.
-Take train to Barcelona and stay up all night with Jeff listening to his ipod, chain smoking, and sipping wine with light soft kisses...my birthday was at midnight on the train.
-Next morning arrive in Barcelona...don't have a reservation...follow other back packers out of train station to a famous hostel...
-Walk into hostel get checked in...head to our room...
-Enter room...15 bunk beads...a skinny white boy with a trucker hat, aviators, and green boxers hops out of his bunk...
-Cowboy, "Hey ya'll welcome to Barcelona."

Cowboy and I immediately hit it off. Ironically that night Jeff from the train joined me for my birthday dinner...he ends up being a douchebag and cowboy stayed around to pounce. I didn't play it safe. Dove right in. Turns out he was "on leave" from Iraq...aka on vacation. He didn't want to go home bc leaving again would have been harder. Things were perfect. Instant connection and never ending smiles out of this girl. ;)

When my last night of Barcelona rolled around...we decided to go out "lightly." Lightly turned into Anna getting roofied and waking up in a room next door to ours on 8 mattresses piled up like princess and the pea. Her lips looked like a platypus. I slept through my alarm, and if I didn't she wouldn't have been able to fly. Turns out nothing ie. rape happened thanks to Cowboy's friend who helped her out, Marshall. Marshall and Cowboy, both from Texas. Total charmers and comrades. We're all friends to this day.

So in essence we missed the flight, continued to fall in love, and penpal-ed til he came home to the USA. We dated for over 2 years things unravelled and that's where the Chuck nasty comes in... right after Cowboy.

Cowboy, quite possibly the fairytale nobody expects to happen, but it didn't last as much as I wanted it to. It's fresh and wonderful to say you fell in love with a soldier in Barcelona. Like I said we're all friends to this day. He's a huge part of my life as I am in his. Bridge never burned and a friendship everlasting.

I can only hope you find a former lover and friend like I did, but beware...are you falling in love with the cowboy or the story? In my case I think it was more the story than really taking the leap to Cowboy up.

Oh my gatoz!