Champagne Tales

I had a dream. Years ago, as I sat in a trivial English class with no windows in the entire room of my high-school, and I was instructed to write myself a letter for where I would be in 10 years. It was thoughtless work at the time. Mundane. However, I went through with the assignment and wrote myself the letter. Almost a year ago I was home in Chicago and stumbled across the letter and could not resist the temptation to open it.  Inside were the dreams of a 16 year old with dreams of adventure and love. Two words that make my heart sing in this world 10 years later. I sit here on this stormy night in Mexico City, watching and listening to the thunder outside, as rain pours above my head while sitting at the hotel bar sipping a Malbec wine. Comforts of home swim in my head with each sip of my favorite wine. I smile as I look up to the dark sky. The rain pounds above me on the window above, and I realize the 16 year old Kelly would be proud of me. As a culture, we tend to list...

The following is a work of fiction, and a continuation of the previous posts, Chapters 1-6:  Companionship has a funny way of lingering. Even hours after someone is gone, you can still hear their laugh, smell their sweet cologne, or see lip marks on the rim of their wine glass. I left the party after literally saying the exact and simple phrase, "hello, how are you?" to two other individuals. That was my quota for the evening. I left the party and immediately took off the tall shoes I was wearing when I walked into my bungalow. I hadn't worn any type of wedge or heals in what felt like decades, when my feet used to endure the pain of heels for hours while dancing. I was walking the short distance to my back deck barefoot, already with a lit cigarette in my hand. I told myself I had earned it after this evening. The companionship of talking with the sweet girl lingered in my head. Sure, I had interacted with strangers these past few months - waiters at restaurants...

With the new year, brings new perspective on life. Take a break from my book, and instead take a peak into my words and soul...  Her head was a whirlwind of emotions. She couldn't think straight even though she was completely sober. She could hear her favorite song rippling in the background of her thoughts. She was smiling and felt like she could fly. So much anxiety had crept into her life this past year. So many responsibilities. So much loss, but oh, oh so much love had snuck in. She was a whirlwind of emotions as she looked out the window of her tiny apartment, the remnants of a vanilla latte still lingering on her tongue. It was more than an adrenaline rush that swept through her. Years of regrets swept through her brain as she closed her eyes and tried to leap free. She looked out that window and felt like a little kid again - just for those remaining two minutes and forty three seconds of guitar and lyrics. In that moment, she felt like the little girl she once was...