14 Years [GNR/Mötley Crüe]

80. This I Love

Izzy:

"Is the whole church in the frame?" She asked me from the stairs that led to Sagrada Família.

Designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, the Basílica de la Sagrada Família is Barcelona's most iconic monument, blending Gothic traditions with Gaudí's unique organic, nature-inspired style. Construction began in 1882 and has continued for over a century, funded entirely by private donations and ticket sales.

That was what was written on the guidebook handed out to the tourists. Gaudí worked patiently for the initial 15 years. He argued that his client was in no hurry, and then the guy got run over by a tram, and the church has been under construction for over a century.

"Okay, say cheese," I told her, bringing the camera up close to get a shot of her in front of the Basílica. I squinted through the viewfinder, but she wasn't fully in frame. I took a few steps back and then crouched on the ground and tried once again. This time, the frame was perfect, like she asked.

"Smile," I told her.

"I don't wanna smile in every photo," She rolled her eyes, "I wanna look hot,"

"I'm sorry, but neither the lens nor I have that kinda power," I replied.

Her reaction to that was half laugh and half annoyed, but it helped me capture what I felt was the most natural one. I thought she got enough pictures, but then she told me I had to take a few more! She said she wanted to send it to her friends and started striking more serious poses like she was going to be on the cover of Vogue.

Once we were done taking a thousand pictures of her, we headed past the ticket line towards the side entrance. I have always believed she was annoying, but then yesterday wasn't so bad, which was why I decided to hang out today, but then she did this.

"Wow!" She gasped, looking at the intricate carvings, "This is nativity—something?"

"Nativity Façade. Gaudí's original side. The whole thing's a tribute to Christ's birth. It's got, like... animals, angels, even palm trees carved into it." I explained things that were mentioned in the booklet that she didn't bother reading. I watched her look at the stones carefully, almost as if she was trying to memorize all the details. "So, how did it go last night?"

Yesterday night, while leaving the Bunkers, we came across some tourists from Berlin and they invited us for drinks. They didn't recognize me but assumed I was her husband, which is gross. I turned down the offer and went back to the hotel, and she went out with them.

Just watching her sip wine for lunch yesterday resulted in me having a dream where we were talking shit and having fun at the same place we had lunch yesterday, but then I was also drinking, and then I woke up feeling funny, like I was hungover. She didn't pressure, not even a little; in fact, she even apologized for forgetting I was sober.

When these dreams first occurred, I was really confused. I didn't know what it was, but apparently it's really common among people with substance abuse. Sometimes the dreams are about drugs, and I wake up feeling, Oh no, I fucked up and that feeling lasts till noon. The drinking one is more common than the drug one. It's scary. It makes me feel like I'm gonna inevitably relapse.

"It was fun! They invited me to a boat party tomorrow afternoon," She laughed, "But I didn't drink a lot, I didn't want to wake up hungover."

"Try not to get human trafficked," I told her as we stepped inside the Basílica. The place had an echoing silence despite the small crowd and had shafts of light coming in through the incomplete stained glass and smelled of scaffolding and construction dust. It felt haunting and sacred at the same time.