Jethro in Europe

In my junior year in college, I participated in a study abroad program. I stayed at Reading (pronounced Redding) University outside of London. Over the July 4th weekend, I decided to ditch classes and celebrate. Hell, I may be in Europe, but I'm American first. I had relatives in Paris so I caught a flight to see what it had to offer. At the time, I was dating Zelda's former best friend, Micky. She and another friend of ours, named Marlene, also came. I should've just left them. You see, Micky and I were growing apart. She was interested in someone else and I was interested in Zelda. The only reason we stayed together was because we had numerous mutual friends. Poor reason to stay together.

I only stayed in Paris for 4 days. While I was there, I decided to buy my mom a gift. I knew she like Chanel No. 5 perfume. So, I asked my relatives where I could find some for cheap. They gave me directions and instructions to ask for Bobo once I got there. When I did get there, I did as I was told. I asked for Bobo. The lady at the counter pointed to the stairwell at the back of the store. As I approached the stairwell, 2 Asian guys in black suits and dark sunglasses blocked the path behind me as I walked by. The guys said in Vietnamese, "Him only." WTF? Micky and Marlene just told me to go ahead. They would continue shopping downstairs. I continued upstairs and approached a lady who wore way too much makeup. She was wearing bright red lipstick, blue eye shadow, and layers of blush. She looked like an Asian Tammy Faye Baker. I asked her for Chanel No. 5 perfume. She quoted me the equivalent of $40 in francs. If I had known that Chanel No. 5 perfume (not Eau de toilette) was $300 normally, I would've bought more and sold the extras back here. I didn't know why I was able to get it so cheap. As it turns out, the store was owned by the Vietnamese mafia. That's why only I was allowed upstairs.

I only spent 4 days in Paris because my studies kept me mostly in England. On my last night in the dorms of Reading University in England, I passed by my neighbor who was a cutie that had been flirting with me for several weeks. I told her that it was my last night and that I wanted to say good bye. She said that we had to celebrate. She took out a bottle of wine and 2 glasses. After the bottle was finished, she asked me if I wanted to go back to her room and really celebrate. Yes! As I grabbed her hand, Lisa walked by. Lisa was a friend of mine. She also knows Zelda, Micky, and Marlene. Lisa wanted to talk and wouldn't leave. She kept talking about how she got to go to Ireland and how much fun she had there. All I could do was stand there horny as hell waiting for Lisa to leave. When it came down to 2 hours before we actually left, I gave up. I should've just told Lisa that I was going to sleep and then gone up to Micky, and told her that I was breaking up with her so I could spend my last night with the English cutie and no regrets.

Here's to missed opportunities.