Early AM hours, flying from Lima to Los Angeles via Houston, sitting in seat 37F
These last five weeks in the Amazon have made everything about being in a plane seem ridiculous. The air-conditioning, in-flight shopping, flight attendants with masks of make-up and no smiles—it's all so unnecessary.
Besides looking back on everything I've been through on this trip, I am looking forward to spending the next 10 days with Kelsey before I fly home to Canada for Christmas. I'll only get to see her for 10 days because she'll be gone when I get back to California in the beginning of January.
On New Year's Day, she's flying to Bangkok with six of her closest girlfriends. She's asked me to come with her a bunch of times but I've had to say no because the flight is too damn expensive—but after I went online to check-in to my flight today I looked at my account to see how many air miles I had. Since it has been over a month since my flight to Peru and the miles from my trip to South Africa had been added, my total was just over 70,000 miles—which, as it turns out, is the exact same amount needed (plus $150) for a roundtrip ticket from LAX to Phuket, Thailand.
I haven't told her yet, but I decided Fuck it, I'm going to go for it. I am going to say yes to life for the right reasons—I booked a ticket for the 15th of January.
That means that in less than a month I'll be packing Big Red and The Mothership and joining her in Thailand. Every time I think of how enthusiastic her response was when I asked her to be my girlfriend—Yes! Yes! Yes!—I feel that same nervous/excited feeling I felt the day I landed here.
She says she wants nothing more than to be my girlfriend and go on adventures with me. I want the same and that's what makes me feel like she is going to be as excited as me when I send her a screenshot of my E-ticket the next time I get Wi-Fi.
That is what I want to share with my partner, and just like I thought in the San Diego County courthouse as I stood on the alter with my ex-wife—This is either the best decision I've had or the worst decision I've made, only time will tell—I'm going to try it again. I hope following my heart, going backpacking with my lover instead of solo, in a place like Thailand, will be the best decision I've ever made.
When I see her, I'm going to hold her as tight as I can and give her the truest kiss I've ever given anyone. I am going to trust her. If I want to grow I need to stay open and give her my heart. That's what Otillia taught me.
I give my thanks to the jungle for all it gave me, but I won't dare say adios, not yet. My last words will be hasta pronto, mi amigo—I'll see you soon, my friend.
THE END
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