After a few stomps, which echoed through the
entire neighborhood, Tonya leaned on the room’s door, an expression of pure
mischief in her face.

‘Guess what I just arranged for us, Pookie…’

‘Uhn, a massage session with mom and dad?’ Dana
joked, clicked on Marina’s message to give it a further reading.

‘No, silly. Though I could get it in a minute if
that’s what you want.’ she meandered to the bed, took a seat beside her
girlfriend. ‘It’s about Italy…’ Tonya suggested, singing the last word.

‘Funny, I’m reading Marina’s invite right now.
What about it?’ Dana asked, put the computer screen down to look at Tonya.

‘I spoke to your coach. He said you could go, as
long as you practiced daily, kept running and didn’t eat too much pizza/ pasta/
ice-cream. I told him I wouldn’t let you get out of shape and promised you’d go
to a tennis center every day. He gave me an address, and it’s, like, two
streets away from Marina’s place! Isn’t this awesome? WE’RE GOING TO
FLORENCE!!!!’

Dana was speechless for a moment, a smile
plastered on her face.

‘You did this for me?’ She hugged Tonya very
tenderly. ‘Thank you thank you thank you!!!! Now I can see my friend,
still practice and travel to Italy with you! You’re wonderful, To.’

They kissed passionately, promises of an
european adventure hanging between and behind their caresses.

Shane’s (and her roommates’) place, 23:00

Shane had borrowed a very resistant, enormous, black leather bag and put it over her bed. A smile of antecipation plastered on her lips, she threw her entire wardrobe of clothes into it. And still had enough empty space for every other item she’d need in that one month in Italy.

She had the right amount of money for it and wouldn’t come back completely poor. She had her savings and, besides, had never been one to spend lavishly on stuff she thought frivolous.

Shane had never stayed too much time in one sole place. With no emotional attachments to things or houses, it was rather easy and fast to pack up and leave. Indeed, in less than half an hour she had everything ready. Decision, made. Bag, ditto. If she thought about going, she’d just go.

A gypsy, gathering her possessions and moving away. A nomad, no place to consider her own. Shane would be a gypsy yet again and explore a new continent, a new country. Maybe she’d searh for job. Maybe she’d stay just a few days in Marina’s place, then hit the road. Maybe…

Shane’s favorite word was maybe. She never knew or planned on what she’d do. She simply went woth the flow of her feelings and state of mind. Followed the pull of her instincts.

And didn’t regret, or at least didn’t let herself regret, any of her actions.

Florence would be really nice…