I am going to the hospital to visit Saila who has been hurt. I arrive and claim that I am her sister. I give the nurse my name and she says that she will go see if Saila wants to se me. I wait for a very short time before the nurse says I can go see Saila who is in her hospital bed, eagerly watching some football (soccer, not American) on the television. She explains to me that she was at some game with a guy she has been seeing and that is how she got hurt. We talk a little and I explain to her that I am leaving for Italy without Rob. Saila listens to me for a bit but then is distracted by the game. I leave because I have a lot to do to get ready for my trip.

I go to the dollar store to buy some things for the trip. I find a ring I like and some tops, something pretty to sleep in. There are some lemon yellow cotton tank tops trimmed in lilac eyelet. Some peach ones trimmed in robin’s egg blue. But no pink ones or any purple ones. Then I see some sheer cotton peasant type tops in peach, light blue, creamy white, and pale green but I realize that I am too fat to wear them. So I go on and keep shopping.

Saila calls me and I answer, telling her that yes, I am going to Italy to see another man. She is delighted and distressed both at the same time. “What about Rob? Does he know?” I explain that I haven’t told Rob yet but will do so before I leave. I don’t know how long I will be gone for, at least a week. Possibly longer. I don’t know. I don’t care. I just need to get away from things. Saila starts telling me about the new guy in her life but then, again, gets distracted because she is still watching football. I tell her that I have to go to buy some more things for my trip.

From the corner of my eye I see a very sexy pair of shoes but when I get closer they don’t look nearly as cute as I thought they had before. Then my phone rings again and it is Rob. I answer and we do the usual “Hey baby” and such but then he doesn’t say anything and I wait . . . and wait . . . and then I say, “Well, you obviously called for no reason so I am going to hang up now and listen to nothing and nobody with both my hands free.”

I realize that I should have said something to him about my trip and at first I continue shopping but I feel a little guilty for not saying something already so I call him back. He doesn’t answer. I leave a voice message. “Rob, you know I’ve been unhappy in our relationship for a long time. I’m tired of complaining about the same things over and over again. I haven’t been happy with our sex life or anything, really. I know that you care but you don’t care enough to really listen to me so I am going to Italy for a week. Maybe longer. I don’t know. I just know that I can’t go on like this anymore. I’ll call you when I get back.”

I start having second thoughts about leaving for Italy. I think about maybe going to visit my mother instead or just renting a hotel room and staying there for a week. Anything just so I can get away from how unhappy I am.

I am in Italy, getting off the plane, in the airport, surrounded by people I do not know when I see a familiar face, “his” face. He greets me warmly with a hug and, his arms still around me, tells me how happy he is I have come to him finally, that he can’t wait to show me his home, his country. As we are walking past a gorgeous fountain he tells me at least two weeks, probably longer, to do all of the things he is hoping to do with me. His enthusiasm and excitement are infectious and I find myself happy to have done what I shouldn’t have done to be where I so very much want to be.