Burnt musing

Every single meal I've had here has been fabulous. Maybe I'll get into coffee. This americano works for me.



I told mare not to worry, that I'd take care of Ivona in college. She grins wickedly at me, 'don't let anyone else have her, but you can.' I smile as reassuringly as possible. The sun beats down on our drunken leers.



The fake roses in the bathroom have thorns. I wouldn't have it any other way. 



The hot young DILF has a nipple ring. I can see it as his low v neck hangs strategically, he crouches to play with his toddler daughter.



Noga and I stride through the Carmel market, crusty with sea salt, bags of watermelon hefted in both hands like trophies. A man stops in mid sentence with his comrade. 'sha-loooom!' he enthuses. 'hey girls,' his lady friend calls after us, 'have you been to the beach?'



It's always the last sip that gets me. The sugary dregs.



A petal falls onto the table,  between the saucer of soymilk and untouched ashtray. It's pink, and lonely. There's not a pink flower in sight. I chew on a toothpick, read, wave away flies. The next time I look up, it's gone.

ha am

(the people)

Jack told us to kiss on the stairs.
Noga missed the sunrise, but I wasn't paying attention.


Noga's an asshole because she scored 10 points more than me.
Although losing the key lost us another good 40 points.

2 bottles of wine to ourselves, plus one cheap chocolate mousse.

urchin

Wine all day with Masha, my ukranian model.

My last pub crawl;

tons of rowdy boys, one broke a chair at our first stop, Buza.

But we trooped on, did some good crazy dancing.

More shots, more dancing, and more dancing with a cocktail bucket on the side.

My hair falls down.

Skinny dipping under a full moon and a warm sea.

My first time.

Someone steals ice cream while others purchase cigarettes.

We play games and wait for the buses to work.

The brazilian who has been hitting on me all night tries to work his way around a cheek kiss as I drop them off.

Rain starts. Rain on my last night of work.

Werewolves didn't mind the rain.

My last day;

Wake up and take some tea. Big tea addict.

Have to go, same clothes as yesterday, I don't mind.

I throw some things in my bag. I have someone's phone.

Drop it off at the hostel, vespa over the port.

We swim on a nearby island.

We drink mineral water and cheap white wine, Croatian style.

Nice new people.

I'm swimming, I hit my foot on a rock, the rock is actually a sea urchin, I'm dying.

They sedate me with more wine and tweeze some spines out of my toes.

A lot of them are broken off.

I nap while they adventure on the island.

I limp my way to coffee, chat away the time.

Boat ride back and discuss healthy vs. unhealthy relationships with a boy from split.

Vespa ride,

making chicken in a sweet pink apartment with some friends.

a girl cuts my hair on the terrace.

A shower feels so good.

No one wears pants, or some of us do. It's warm and the night is sunday-sleepy.

drolce

pub crawls are going well.

we're the kids

Outside Suburbia's sprawling everywhere. I don't want to go baby. New York to East California. There's a new wave coming I warn you.

there's something about hearing this song while lounging the sunlight away on the rocky shores of old town Dubrovnik that makes me feel very self-conscious, and purges from me a mixture of guilt and pride.

honestly?

I've been too busy here, but really in the best ways. I've been climbing mountains and leading pub crawls. Last night, a girl here turned 25, I got her extra toffee vodka shots and bought us champagne, but she went home too early, poor thing. If I get a spare few hours I'll go to Buza bar, I go to my spot with the inclined rock so I can read my historical novels.

I run into locals here. I don't remember everyone's names, but I know faces, I'll ask a few preliminary questions in Croatian, and I'll tell them I'll see them later because I always do. Old town is small. It's a village, really.

Ivona suggested we go to the Mexican restaurant.
'That's so far away!' I exclaimed, envisioning it.
She gave me a Look. 'it's five minutes away.'
I thought about it again. Through the courtyard. Down the steps, through the gate, uphill a bit.
'You're right. I felt like it was too far because it's out of the old city.' I spend most of my time within the city walls, ricocheting from place to place.
She laughed. 'You're thinking like a local now!'


We went to Lapod island, for an elektronika party. Trekked into the wilderness. I spilled wine all over my person but what really killed me was the dirt. I am not made for wilderness. The party was held in an abandoned stone mansion. We danced all night in the grass under the strobelights, and when the sun rose we grabbed our bags and took our towels over the crest of the island to the sunlight-blessed beach on the other side. We slept in beach chairs. Swam in the crystaline water. I had to leave early for work, so I bought figs and strawberries at the dock and took the ferry home.