First Stop...Sarasota

I returned the next day to see David at Flight Centre with my ideal itinerary in hand.  I was excited and scared at the same time, as I had never travelled alone.  I had not even told Duane or Monroe what I was planning on doing, I was going to as soon as I had tickets in hand and on my way to discovering where I was going in my life.  I sat across from David who anxiously was awaiting my list, which of course would probably result in a huge commission for him.  I handed him the list and he scanned the list.  “Nothing too crazy here Bella, we can totally do this and keep it under cost.  But I am going to suggest you fly out initially from Buffalo.  It will save you so much; do you think you can get down there okay?  There is a bus that leaves from Union Station and takes you across the border.”  “Yea I can handle it, I have to get used to travelling alone, since I am doing this entire trip alone.  And I checked out that web site you gave me and have reserved a location to stay in once I have a flight plan.”

He went to work straight away “So you’ve chosen Florida as your first stop.  Any place specific?”  “Well I would love to go to Orlando, but I think I should probably wait on that one.  I want to go on rides and don’t really want my first stop to be laden in single rider calls.” I chuckled at the last part of my statement.  He smiled at me and nodded.  “How about trying Sarasota first? Then maybe you can get a taste of what the warm weather will be like and you can go from there.  I am sure you can make some friends down there and convince them to go to Orlando with you!” I had not considered Sarasota and went to work quickly on Air BnB checking out places to stay.  I wanted to keep costs down so I decided to just rent a room to start.  I was searching and found one for less than $100 a night.  I read the reviews while David took a look at flights, and I was sold.  The person offering the room had wonderful reviews from other travellers, and it even said he wasn’t really home much but would offer as much help as possible.  “Okay David, book Sarasota.  I found a place to rent and I am booking it right now.”  He smiled and booked me on a flight leaving in a week to Sarasota, and staying for a week there.  He then quickly went through the rest of my list and started rhyming out my itinerary.  Each place he had booked he gave me a week to ten days in.  He suggested I wait on Europe as it was looking expensive but he would contact me if he found anything after I had already started travelling.  I was beyond ecstatic.

He handed me my itinerary after I had paid, and I was walking out with a huge smile on my face.  I had to get home and start packing, and for those of you who know women always over pack.  I was practically skipping down the street, I was finally doing something for myself and I couldn’t be happier. 

*****

A week later I was on my way to sunny Sarasota.  I had decided to tell Duane and Monroe the other day and while they thought I was crazy to do this on my own, they supported my reasoning.  After my four hour flight and a short cab ride I was standing in front of a place I would call home for a week.  I called Aaron, the guy I rented from, and told him I was here.  He quickly came walking out of the house running his hand through his hair and he was gorgeous! “Hi, umm, shit.  We have a problem.”  I looked at him confused and a little defeated, and thought great...when it rains it pours.  “The website double booked that room and the other couple got here about 10 minutes ago.  I double checked and realized what had happened and I instantly demanded they refund your cash, but clearly that won’t help you now.  I feel horrible Isabella.  So I am going to let you stay up in my apartment for a week and I am going to go crash at a friend’s house.  I feel horrible.  But I won’t charge you a dime, and it is a 2 bedroom!  Please forgive me; I don’t know what happened....” I let go of my suitcase and put my hand on his arm “Aaron it is okay don’t worry.  I am sure we can find a way to live together for a week.  You said it yourself you’re not home much so it is perfectly fine.  I don’t plan on being home much, I want to explore Sarasota.  And I am not a party girl, so I won’t disturb you.  I am only here for a week; I think we can make this work.”  I looked him in the eye and he seemed to relax and smiled.  He grabbed my suitcase and walked me up to his apartment.  It had a gorgeous view, and it was just as spacious as the unit I had tried to rent.  He showed me to my room which was nice and cozy and then showed me around the unit.    It felt like a home away from home for me, and I was excited.  Despite his claim he wasn’t around much, Aaron and I got on really well during my stay; he even joined me on some touristy attractions like the Sarasota Jungle Gardens.  I figured out how to get to the Siesta Key Public Beach and spent a lot of time there relaxing.  We spent a couple nights in and I cooked while telling him about my upcoming trip, leaving out the disastrous few years of my life leading up to this.  He took me out on my last night there to a little Japanese restaurant.  “So I wanted to ask you, what brought this trip on.  I’ve tried to bring it up but you didn’t seem like you wanted to talk about it, and I still understand if you don’t.”  I put down my menu and took a sip of water, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to talk to him about this or not.  Did I really want to ruin my last night with him?  “I tell you what, I will tell you at the end of my trip.”  I winked figuring it was the best way to avoid the question again.  “Ok deal” he said “What is your next stop Madame Traveller?”  “Orlando, I have always wanted to go to Disney and Universal.  I was hoping I would’ve met a few more people while I was here and maybe convince them to come with me, but it’s cool.  I will be ok up there.  I booked another room on Air BnB and leave tomorrow morning.”  I picked up my menu and continued reading.  Aaron stared at me and smiled before he picked up his menu and started looking at stuff he wanted to order.  We had a wonderful final evening together, dinner was nice and we walked after dinner to fight the overload of sushi we had eaten. 

After we got back I immediately started to pack up all my stuff and move the suitcase out to the living room.  I wanted to be ready to go when I had to wake up to get to the airport.  Aaron didn’t say too much when we got back, other than asking if I needed a lift to the airport.  I politely declined and had already arranged a taxi to pick me up.  We stared at each other awkwardly and then he hugged me and wished me well on my next journey.  I smiled and hugged him back and thanked him for everything.

The next morning I was up and trying to be quiet as I shoved my pajamas into my suitcase and even left Aaron a thank you note and went down to get into my taxi.  On my way to the airport I had felt relaxed and like I was actually doing what I wanted to do.  I giggled to myself as I realized I was headed to the ‘happiest place on earth’....next stop Disney World!