Once inside, she left her bag and shoes by the door and turned into the kitchen to figure out what she wanted for dinner. Most nights she was too exhausted from work to cook an elaborate or healthy dinner and usually ended up just heating up a frozen meal. As she surveyed the fresh produce in her fridge she decided she should have a salad since she was going to be out of the country for a few weeks and it wouldn’t last.
She had just pulled everything out onto the tiny open space on her counter when her phone rang. She glanced at the number and answered.
“Hi Sheila,” she greeted her.
“Hey. Have you started packing yet?” Sheila asked.
“No, I just got in from work. I’m getting something to eat right now, then I was going to start.”
“Okay. Were you able to find us a ride to the airport?”
“Yeah, Kim said she could drive us. She’s going to pick me up first and then we’ll come get you.”
“Perfect.”
“Have you started packing?” Amanda asked.
“Yeah. I may need to pay for an additional bag. I can’t fit everything I want into one and I can’t make up my mind about what I want to leave behind.”
“That’s going to be a pain traveling through 5 countries with extra luggage,” Amanda cautioned.
“I know. I just can’t make up my mind on what outfits to bring and then coordinating shoes of course.”
Amanda rolled her eyes and shook her head. While she got along with Sheila, they were polar opposites. Amanda would describe Sheila as vain whereas Sheila considered Amanda plain.
“Well, as long as you don’t mind lugging all that around,” Amanda said.
“Ugh … Well, I’ll let you go so you can eat. I’ll call tomorrow night just to touch base.”
“Sounds good. Talk later.”
Amanda hung up and turned her attention back to her dinner. She prepared a large salad and brought it out to the couch to watch the news while she ate. The weather was going to be nice up until they left and then was going to rain the day after they were gone.
When she finished eating she called her mom and they talked for a few hours while Amanda meandered around her bedroom trying to decide on what clothes to bring. She planned on doing laundry at least once while they were travelling because she wanted to travel light and not carry 21 days of clothes. She chose her clothing based on what looked good on her but more importantly on what was comfortable. She had been saving for 3 years to take this trip and wanted to enjoy every minute of it.
After a monumentally frustrating Friday at work, Amanda was thankful to be leaving it all behind for a few weeks at least. Sam gave her a hug goodbye and told her to be careful and not to pick up any strange men. She laughed and told him he worried too much.
She raided her fridge, trying to finish what perishable food was left and then talked with her mom again while she finished packing. She was proud of herself for being able to fit everything into one suitcase. She figured she could buy a second bag for souvenirs if she really needed the extra space.
Sheila called later to touch base one last time before they met up in the morning. She was still struggling with how much to pack and currently had 2 bags full. Amanda encouraged her to consolidate and only take necessities.
Kim showed up at 6:00 in the morning to pick up Amanda and they went to get Sheila. She came out with 3 bags, leaving Amanda feeling a little frustrated and hoping the whole trip wouldn’t end up with Sheila trying to look like a supermodel every second.
Sheila was tall with long, dark brown hair and brown eyes. She worked very hard to keep her slender figure, going to the gym religiously and watching her diet carefully. She was borderline obsessed but thankfully didn’t try to impose her standards on others.
While Amanda was conscious of her weight and tried to exercise regularly, she would rather enjoy life than nitpick every little thing she did or ate. She would rather go hiking than be in a gym. If she wanted to order dessert after dinner, she did. If her clothes started to feel a little tight, she would just pull the reins in for a little while until she trimmed down again. She could never live as rigidly as Sheila.
“Do you have your itinerary?” Kim asked as they rode to the airport.
“Oh, yes,” Amanda answered as she reached in the front pocket of her bag. “It’s right here.” She pulled out some folded pieces of paper and opened them. “Our first stop is Ireland then Scotland, Spain, France and finally, Italy.” She passed the papers to Kim. “Here’s a list of where we’ll be staying along with phone numbers. I’ll still be reachable as long as I’m near Wi-Fi.”
“You better send lots of pictures,” Kim said.
“I promise,” Amanda replied with a smile.
Kim dropped them off at the entrance and they said their goodbyes. Amanda waited as Sheila checked her extra luggage and tried not to be annoyed. It was a minor thing, she told herself, like a grain of sand in her shoe. If she didn’t think about it, it wasn’t even noticeable. But if she focused on it, it would be all she could think about. She tried not to think about it.
Chapter 2
8 hours after they checked in to Logan International Airport, their plane landed in Dublin. Amanda felt ecstatic. She had been waiting for this moment for years and part of her couldn’t believe it was even happening. She grinned at Sheila, who didn’t quite share her level of enthusiasm. While Sheila was excited to be traveling around Europe, her feelings about it were somewhat muted by comparison.
It was almost 9:00 P.M. when they arrived at the Clontarf Castle Hotel, where they would be staying.
