Page 20 of A Me and You Thing
“Sawyer?” There was so much doubt packed into that one word.
He took my face in his hands. “No more tears.” I cried nearly the entire way to the airport. Saying goodbye to Jordyn and Josie was rough. “We’ll miss you desperately, but we’ll be perfectly fine. Enjoy your trip. I want you to have a wonderful time—the experience of a lifetime. Squeeze every drop of juice out of the orange.” One of his favorite sayings—and it made me smile. “Now hurry up and go, so I can await your return with bated breath. I’ll be dreaming of our two nights at the cabin every single night you’re gone. It’s the only thing that will get me through it. Be prepared for some serious non-stop lovemaking.”
“Last night was nothing to laugh at.”
“I was just getting warmed up.”
“I look forward to the encore performance.”
He kissed me, softly and sweetly. I knew it was my moment, the one where I needed to tell him just what he meant to me. He needed to hear it before I left. “Sawyer, I don’t think you know just how much I love and adore you. You’ve made me so happy. Please know...”
His fingers covered my lips and I kissed them. “Shh, I know, Quinn. I’ve always known. It’s obvious in everything you do and say.”
I felt at peace, knowing that he knew what was in my heart.
We whispered our goodbyes and off I went. I felt like a kid on the first day of kindergarten, experiencing severe separation anxiety.
Sawyer watched as I went through security, waving every time I glanced back at him. He was there until the very last moment when I turned the corner and he was out of sight.
I took a deep breath and set out on my adventure, knowing that my sweet family would be fine without me for the short amount of time I would be gone.
Now, as I sit on the plane preparing to land in Managua, I shake off my homesickness, feeling glad I decided to go. If I can stop thinking about my family every second, everything will be okay. Women go on business trips all the time. I put up such a fuss over nothing. The time will go by so fast. Like the blink of an eye.
It feels odd to only have to worry about myself. I keep feeling as though I’m forgetting something.
Nope. It’s just me. It does feel freeing, even if my arms feel achingly empty. And even though I miss my baby girls, I know they’re in good hands. And I know I will be a better mother after having taken a little time for myself.
No going back now. We just landed.
So that’s it. I’m in Nicaragua. But that’s okay. Abi and I, armed with all of our Google knowledge—we’ve got this. We’re prepared, and we know exactly what to expect.
No problema.
Yeah, right.
AFTER SLEEPING LIKE a lump of clay last night at the very nice, but surprisingly cheap Princess Hotel, I feel ready to face another traveling day. I’m still a little jet-lagged, but I plan to take a nap on the bus ride.
First stop, we exchange our money forcordobas. I still have my traveler’s checks tucked away in my secret pouch, but I doubt I’ll need them. The amount of cash I changed in forcordobasshould last me the entire two weeks.
Our group grabs some lunch—because most of us slept through breakfast—which consists of rice, beans, and fried plantains. It’s a little bland, but it does the job. We all have bottled water because drinking the tap water can cause tummy troubles. We don’t want that.
Onto the bus we go, ready to embark into the highlands to the town of Jinotega and the San Rafael del Norte Hostel. It’s around a four-hour trip, if you include our bus transfer in Matagalpa. The hostel will be our home for the next two weeks as we work with local teachers, not only in Jinotega, but also the surrounding communities.
Most of the buses are old retired yellow school busses from America, sent down to Nicaragua for their use. It’s such an odd sight to see, but makes me feel a little closer to home. Our bus is one of the dreaded “chicken busses.” Not only are there a few people with caged chickens, there are also people traveling with a bundle of plantains, resting in the aisle, no less. We have to walk over them. It’s all just part of the Nicaraguan experience, which makes me smile. Part of the allure of being here is learning about another culture.
As the elevation increases, a light rain commences. It’s misty and foggy outside, giving a surreal look to our surroundings. The distant mountain tops are covered with cloud forests as if they’re hiding mythical and mysterious secret places, magical realms I’d love to explore. The foliage is jungle-like and breathtakingly beautiful. I snap several pictures and send them to Sawyer along with lots of red heart emoticons. Surprisingly, I have two bars, so he should receive the text. Our journey is slow as the bus huffs and puffs its way up into the mountains. Abi and I both don sweaters. Already the overcast skies feel chillier than hot and humid Managua.
We stop in Matagalpa, known as The Pearl of the North (thanks to my Wikipedia knowledge), for a quick rest stop and to transfer to another bus. We stretch our legs, taking a walk on the hilly streets and breathing in the fresh mountain air. We wander into the shops selling highly polished black ceramics, something Matagalpa is famous for.
“Look at these, Quinn. I love them.” Abi buys a small vase as a souvenir. I decide to wait until the end of the trip to purchase anything.
We eat at a restaurant that gives us rice, beans, lettuce, shredded chicken, and tortillas. A man sits in the corner playing his guitar and serenades us with Nicaraguan folk music. It’s all very new and exciting.
The tortillas are cut into quarters, forming four triangles. I notice the locals use the tortilla pieces as their spoons. I really want to take all of my ingredients, mix them together, and form a burrito. I ask for a whole tortilla, but my desires get lost in translation. Instead, I receive more triangular pieces of flour tortilla. I decide not to press the point. I’ll just do as the locals do.
One of the translators, Wes, sits back and holds his stomach. “I’m so full.” Wes is traveling with his fiancée, another fellow teacher, and they’re constantly hugging and kissing each other. It’s not annoying, though. They’re an adorable couple.
Joseph, another translator says, “That was delicious.” He’s married and has two little toddlers at home. I’ve already seen numerous pictures of them. He’s slightly obsessed, but then, so am I. I understand his feelings. I returned the favor and showed him a few pictures of my girls too. He oohed and aahed appropriately.
