Current Columns

Fans' Favorite Five

Columns by Subject

Living the Life of Holly
By Holly Winter
The Portuguese Sun Sat

“I can’t believe I’m in Portugal.” I said, looking around. I’d always wondered what Portugal looked like. Um. So far it looked a lot like an airport parking lot.

“Believe it.” Cool-guy said.

“Hey. This all happened kind of fast.”

“You SAID you liked to be spontaneous. I wanted to see if you really meant it.”

“Now that I know you’re paying attention, you should know that I’ve always wanted a Lexus.”

“Keep writing.” He laughed. “Maybe you can earn one.”

We veered onto the superhighway.

“We’ll be in Lagos in an hour or so.” Cool-guy said.

“Excellent.” We drove through small valleys and saw small towns huddled together on the hills.

“Wonder why those towns are all stuck together. There’s no space between the houses at all. Nobody has a lawn.” He said.

“Maybe they’re beyond mowing. I remember how much I despised mowing my lawn, when I had one. I think it was the reason I became a writer. The taller my grass grew, the more I felt compelled to write. Writing became a form of procrastinating my chores. Actually, I think it still is.”

Cool-guy hit the breaks.

“What happened?” I asked, feigning calm.

“We’re not on the highway any more. When did we get off?”

I laughed. “I don’t know. Maybe the superhighway became a little two way street?”

“There was no exit sign. No ramp.”

We were smack in the middle of a quaint town. A woman was carrying bread. Children were playing in the park. Men were leaning against a building talking.

“Wait. Slow down. I want to get some photos. What a cool little town.”

He slowed. “I don’t want to go too slowly. I want to get there.”

“You kidding? We ARE there. We’re in Portugal. There isn’t any rush, right? We only have an hour to drive, right?”

“Yeah. If we stay on the highway.” He slowed the car while I snapped a photo of the bread shop and a photo of the fountain in the traffic circle. I missed the photo of the church. Darn it.

“Wait. Go back. I want to get a picture of that church.”

“Let’s keep going.” He suggested. “Here’s the highway… which way should we go?”

Hmmm. I’m not used to making these decisions. Hmmm. I pointed left. He turned left onto the superhighway. About fifteen minutes later I realized that Cool-guy was new in my life. We had only known each other a few weeks. He didn’t know about me.

“Um. Honey. I should let you know…. I have absolutely no sense of direction.”

He laughed. “Really? None? With all the traveling you’ve done?”

“Well. I’ve never considered getting lost a personality flaw.”

He shrugged.

“What I mean is that before when I suggested that we drive this way? Well. It probably meant that we should have gone the other way.”

“Really? Why don’t you check the map?”

“Oh. Right. Well. You should know that too. Maps aren’t a specialty for me. You know. No direction. You need to be good at directions if you’re going to use a map, right?”

He laughed. “Aye, ye, ye. What have I gotten myself in to?”

“It’s fun to get lost. Really. I mean. We might’ve missed that little town…”

He pulled off the road and studied the map. “You’re right. We’re going the wrong way.”

I sighed. “Thought so. Well. I want to see the ocean. Can you make that happen? Think there’s an ocean around here?”

“Yup. Think there’s one right over that hill.”

“Really?”

He laughed. “You aren’t joking about that directionality issue, are you?”

We pulled into the most beautiful national park I’ve ever seen. We drove along the cliffs and looked out on scenic ocean views. The rocks were rough and jagged. It looked like there might be caves hiding amongst the crevices.

Cool-guy parked the car. “Hurry. We’re just in time for an ocean sunset.”

He grabbed my hand and we raced to the edge of the cliff. The wind was blowing. Really blowing. A nice bitter, cold wind. We watched as the sun sat on the horizon.

It was kinda cold out there.

The sun sat a bit longer. I took a few pictures. Still the sun sat.

“This is the longest sunset I’ve ever seen in my life.” Cool-guy said.

“I know.” I said, shivering. I was cold, but I wasn’t going to give in. I wanted to watch the sun SET. He pointed out the pretty beach up the coast. I marveled at the large rock formations down the coast. Still the sun SAT. Surely it was some kind of optical illusion?

“That wind is bitter, isn’t it?” Cool-guy asked.

“Sure is. Can’t believe I’m here.” I said, kissing his cheek. I was about five seconds from whining. I become a hopeless whiner when I get cold.

The Portuguese sun sat on the horizon laughing at us. Cause. What were we expecting, a sunset on our first night in Europe?

He pulled me close. “I can’t believe you’re here either.”

“You didn’t think I’d come?”

“Nope.”

“What are you going to do with me now that you’ve got me here?”

“I’ll think of something.” He gave me a long hard kiss.

Nope. I couldn’t enjoy it. “I’m cold. I’m really cold. Aren’t you cold? Did you know it was going to be cold? My God. It’s not Winter yet, is it? I can’t take the cold. Have I ever told you that? I’m so damn cold.”

He laughed. “Feeling a bit chilled, are you?”

“Have you noticed how bitter that wind is? I’m wearing a sweater. You’re in short sleeves…”

“Hmm.” He laughed. “Maybe we should watch the sunset from the car. That wind is bitter, isn’t it?”

We sat in the car, turned on the heat, and cranked up the music. We laughed as the sun stubbornly sank below the horizon.

And. In case you’re wondering. Um. Portuguese music is great to kiss by.

Comment on this column in The Forum

Or

Send Holly your comments. Tell her what you really think! Your comments might be published on her website, or in her weekly Yahoo Group e-mail. Send Comments

Wanna vote for your favorite column? Fan's favorite column picks will be added to the Fan's Favorite Five page. Send your pick for your favorite here. Fan's Favorite Column Pick

Don't miss out! Sign up to receive a free copy of Holly's column via e-mail each week, click HERE to send a blank e-mail request. (All e-mail addresses are private... NEVER, EVER shared.)

Copyright © 2003 by Holly Winter
www.livingthelifeofholly.com
All Rights Reserved