Something's Shifting

Alhambra from Mirador de San Nicolas 4, originally uploaded by uncsuperman.

It was Sunday. And it was hot. Brutally hot – I lost track of how many times the temperature hit 40 degrees Celsius while I was in Spain. Not good for a man who doesn’t like to be hot. But My God, was it beautiful. (For my fellow Americans out there – 40 degrees Celsius is 105 degrees Fahrenheit).

The sky was that perfect shade of Carolina Blue – the shade I was so used to seeing while living in Chapel Hill for 5 years. That’s how I know God is a Tar Heel.

But now, I was in this foreign land, seeing foreign structures and experiencing foreign things. Granada was beautiful upon first sight. And today we were going to discover the crown jewel of the city – The Alhambra.

It means “the red one” in Arabic and looks like nothing short of a fairytale castle you read about as a child. The palace rests among the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range and appears almost plain and faded from below. Once you enter its beauty, however, that appearance morphs into one of intricate detail and elaborate architecture. A collection of water, light, stucco and ceramics fuse to create an aesthetic grandeur that few structures can match. It is beyond words.

Jeremy, Bridget, Amanda and I spent several hours wandering around The Alhambra’s gardens, squares and courtyards. We came across a couple dressed in wedding attire. What an enchanting place to hold your nuptials.

The ensuing days would be filled with Amanda and I getting to know one another. Politics. Religion. Dreams. It seemed as if nothing was too personal for us to discuss. Interesting.

If you ever find yourself in Granada, be sure to visit Europa II. This became our tapas bar of choice and a routine stopping point during our days exploring the area. Daytime turned to nighttime and somewhere along the line something shifted between Amanda and I.

Back in Valencia, while eating at “The American Restaurant”, the girl had asked me point blank why I had not tried to kiss her already.

“Already??” I thought. We had known each other at that point for maybe 3 days. The question in and of itself threw me off, and that’s saying nothing of the fact that I thought the idea of kissing someone that soon after meeting them was terribly odd. Perhaps I’m not like most guys – I don’t know. But after finishing our meal, I allowed that interaction to slip from my mind, unconcerned about the potential situation.

But like I said, something was shifting in Granada. Amanda and I were spending a lot of time together and we were growing close. On this Sunday night, when we came back to our hostel after the day’s events, we slipped out onto the patio to converse and be alone.

We talked. And flirted. Then we flirted some more.

Somehow we found ourselves sitting very close to one another – feeling each other’s presence. It was late and sleep was calling to both of us.

Unexpectedly, she kissed me. On the lips.

Like a businesswoman upon securing a big contract, she then stood up and walked away as if she had just suckered me into signing away my soul. At that moment, I was beyond confused but stood up and followed her as if I knew precisely what I was doing.

What the hell was going on? What the hell was she thinking? Who does that?

I had no idea – and I had a sneaking suspicion I wasn’t going to get answers. So I did what any respectable man would do. I brushed my teeth. Then I went to bed.

I wasn’t sure what I was doing – and I wasn’t going to worry.