US: The Prologue

A note to all the non-commentors who voted yesterday,
can I just say:

You all are really cute.

Apparently, people get a kick out of love stories,
(including myself)

and so now I'm sticking to my promise 

and figuring out how to articulate 
what is actually a rather complex story 
into four blog posts. 

And the easiest way to do this is, of course, 

to give you some background

on the two main characters of this story.


Are you ready for this?
Like, are you sitting on a train...
on the couch with a cup of tea...


Because this is a bit longer than my normal post length.

Fall of 2002

Tyler is a sophomore in college. 

After starting his college career off to the tune of

fraternity life & skipping class for PS2 (gross),

his parent's made him transfer into a smaller, local school...

where he lived at home, worked at a the nearby Home Depot,

and slowly began to wish away his college years.

Far away in another state,

Lauren is a college freshman at this point-

and her life could not be more different than Tyler's.

It's her first fall in college,

and she is busting at the seams.

She is making so many friends, 

getting to wear real clothes to class instead of uniforms,

connecting with great professors & administrators...

and for the first time in her life- 

boys are noticing her!

With this new found "talent,"

Lauren quite quickly scales up her previous kissing record 

of, ahem, one to a rather fun total of six boys by April...

Including one hilarious of make-out with a guy (Number 5)

surrounded by her friends, 

who were sleeping next to & around her

while at an acquaintance's house.

It could be said by an observer, 

that Lauren was soaking up all the fun she could on campus

before she left to study in Italy next year...

but also in the way every parent hopes for their child.

(She's incredibly innocent, naive, & prude.)

Christmas 2003

Tyler goes to visit his relatives for Christmas...

who happen to live across the street from the college Lauren attends.

His cousin is currently a freshman there at the same college,

and over the course of the weekend-

his cousins sell this college to him as a good place to finish school.

Tyler, being beat down with life, decides to give it a try.

He goes over to the school, fills out paperwork, enrolls, 

and decides that regardless of how this move ends up....

nothing could be worse than what he is doing now.

He also gets a Boxer puppy out of this decision from his parents,

which his sisters name Leia.

Meanwhile in Dallas, Lauren is packing up a giant suitcase

with Juicy Couture sweats, a Baby G watch, 

& a rainbow of solid tee's from GAP

to leave for the adventures that await her in Italy.

While she expects this time to be an adventure of a lifetime,

neither could she have guessed what actually is in store for her.

Lauren also makes out with a guy who is 2 inches shorter 

than her (Number 7) over the break.

Spring 2004

Tyler packs his F-150, 

sits his new puppy on the front seat,

and drives out of his drive way to start over.

He has an awesome job set up for him on-campus,

and he even has a free room to stay in at his Aunt & Uncles 

in the house across the street from the school...

 The same room, in fact, which Lauren had kissed #5 in just a few months earlier.

Upon arrival to campus,

Tyler quickly finds himself hanging out with the "cool crowd."

And to be honest, the girls love him.

He is nice, he's smart, he's got a backbone...

and with all the attention he receives,

Tyler soon decides that this might not have been a bad decision.

Lauren has no sooner touched down in Italy and drank her first cappuccino

than meets an (older) American boy who just moved to Italy.

She decides this is a great way to experience Italy-

getting to travel all over Italy

and fulfilling a dream of 

a Meg Ryan-induced romance in a European setting.

(Yes, I was ridiculous. I was 19.)

This semester in Italy ignites something in Lauren.

She loves living overseas, loves learning a new language,

loves the food, loves to go out with friends,

and loves having a boyfriend for all the romantic moments 

that she would have otherwise moaned to her friend:

"Man, I really wish I had a boyfriend right now."

Dates along the Arno river,

kissing on a bridge,

talking in cafes...

it was all perfect.

So perfect in fact, 

that it covered up all the awkward incompatibility

that would have been revealed

if they had met in a real-life setting.

At the end of the semester,

Lauren is heartbroken to leave Italy
and all the fun she has had there.

Her new boy-toy is heartbroken for her to leave.

They decide to keep this thing going...

which keeps her time in Italy alive

& allows her (non-confrontational) self

the option of avoiding a break-up & hurting feelings.

Va bene.

.... And I'll stop it here for now....

So what do you think...
should I keep going?