Page 45 of Forever Fascinating

Our trips stay between us – AGREED!

Oh, my goodness, one hundred percent agree because I’ve been warned to stay away from you – and you’ve been told to stay away from me? It would simply incite World War 3 on both sides of the fence. You are at a conference – and I’m flying wherever… We are both alone. Period.

If either of us gets sick while traveling, the other is absolutely required to get the other person’s ‘carcass’(ouch, really?) to medical aid and calling the other person’s parents… including Uncle Sam (the government).

Wishlist items… hmm…

Honestly? I would love to explore ruins – Greece comes to mind first thing. Have you thought about Athens or Mykonos? White walls of the buildings, bright crystalline waters, beaches, incredible foods, and ruins galore.

Cliff diving is cool, but that is because there is a beach nearby. I love the ocean and warm water.

Hiking would be really neat, but if we slept in one of those pods hanging on the side of a cliff like in Peru… but therearespiders there – and we’d have to share a pod. I could deal with spiders if I got to see Machu Picchu or see the sunrise in a clear insulated pod with you (and yes, I can keep my hands to myself). If you’ve got a phobia regarding spiders, this might not work.

Museums would be cool, if we went to Barcelona, Paris, or London – but there is so much more out there, that I would rather put those places further down on the list.

What places are you thinking?

My top suggestions would be Greece, Cairo, Peru, Iceland (doing a polar bear plunge!) or the upper realms of Canada or Alaska (again, polar bear plunge!)

Are you flexible on dates? I’m going to go check the calendar and get a request form so I can put in for time off.

I can honestly say that this is the longest email I’ve ever sent anyone – and I still have so much more to say. I’m so excited at the thought of planning a secret getaway and getting to spend time with you.

Write when you can, we’ll select a place, and then we’ll really start planning!

Until next time,

Bunt-boy

* * *

Matthew gotup from the computer and couldn’t help the stupid grin that was plastered to his face. He couldn’t stop smiling because they were actually doing this. They were going to see each other again, escape somewhere, and be alone together on a date.

Not just ‘a’date either… ‘the’date… because they were going to plan on whisking each other around the globe, laughing, dreaming, exploring, and having fun together. He couldn’t think of a better way to get to know someone than to drop them in the middle of nowhere and see how they react.

It wasn’t a game, but neither was a relationship.

If you put someone in a place where they struggled, you saw the real side of them. If they were a picky eater and suddenly faced with foreign foods, the reaction could be telling. If someone had to control things, then a strange land where they couldn’t read the signs, couldn’t speak the language, would reveal just how they would react when challenged in a relationship.

Some people lashed out, some got angry, some retaliated… and others rose to the occasion.

When he was a boy, his parents fought all the time about little things. Was the toilet seat up? Were the dishes clean or dirty in the dishwasher? Did they pay the bill on time? Who was picking up Matthew from school?

Then his father left – divorced his mother and never came back.

His mother was a lovely woman, kindhearted, and could never say ‘no’ to anyone… and she ended up dating several men before she married again.

Sam was good to her and put her first. He was a rare man that was one of the ones that ‘rose up’, treating his mother like she was precious.

Matthew saw that now, but he and Sam had struggled for years, fighting and testing each other, pushing each other’s buttons, until they realized they were fighting for the same thing – for his mother to be happy.

He didn’t want this to feel like a test for Jana in the slightest, because ‘testing’someone was childish. This was simply a way to see the real person by taking them out of their element and inviting them to enjoy a different one – with him.

Travel was one of his favorite things to do and he did very little of it because he didn’t want to experience the world by himself. He was sick of being alone and desperately wanted what Hot Cakes and his new bride had – a true relationship built between them.

Disappearing into the exchange on base, lost in thought, Matthew looked around for something special for Jana. Occasionally they had deliveries on base of some local goods. He didn’t ask how they got there but knew that the Army guys on base were always in town monitoring things, so he assumed someone had a lead somewhere. There were uniform T-shirts, hats, post cards, and…

Matthew hesitated.

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