This is probably one of my favorite things that I've ever written. I just find it so funny. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
I awoke with a massive hangover. Why didn't I take some Advil last night before I went to bed? When did I go to bed? I couldn't remember. Whenever it was it must've been late. It was 1:30 in the afternoon now.
Reluctantly, I got out of bed. The shift from horizontal to vertical made my headache worse. I resisted the urge to fall back down on the hotel bed and sleep for another few hours and went into the bathroom. I started the shower, got undressed, and got in. I cursed myself for forgetting to bring my good shampoo and conditioner with me on our trip to Cancun. Instead, I had to use the little bottles of them hotels always supply their guests with. It made me feel a little better to know I was clean, but I still felt terribl
I got some clothes and the much needed bottle of Advil out of my suitcase, then I got a cup of water from the sink and used it to help the two pills go down.
I got dressed and observed myself in the mirror. I didn't just feel like shit I looked like it too! My face was flushed and anyone could tell I had a jackhammer pounding away in my skull. The outfit didn't look too bad though. I turned around to make sure it looked OK from both sides. Then I noticed something black on my lower back right above my jeans. I used my thumb to pull down the back of my jeans slightly, so I could get a better look. It was a tattoo! I had gotten a tramp stamp last night and I didn't even remember doing it! Even worse, it wasn't just any ordinary tattoo, it was someone's name. In bold, cursive, black letters the tattoo read: Lena. Who the hell was Lena? I couldn't believe I'd gotten some random girl's name tattooed on me. I wondered what else had happened last night. Did we get arrested? Did we kill anyone? I couldn't remember a single thing. I went to the beach with Tom and after that . . . Nothing.
I wondered if Tom remembered anything. I decided I'd go ask him. His room was right across the hall from mine. We flew down here together, but decided not to share a room for the sake of privacy. We figured at least one of us would get laid.
I knocked on his door. No answer. He was probably still asleep. I knocked louder to try and wake him up. "Tom!" I shouted. The door finally opened, but it wasn't Tom who greeted me, but a good-looking, Asian guy who was busy putting his pants on. He blushed when he caught me eyeing him. He picked his shirt up off the floor and pulled it over his head. His cheeks were still red from embarrassment when he left. "Who was that?" I asked Tom, momentarily distracted from my own problems.
He was still lying in his bed, my guess was, completely naked. "Who knows?"
I shook my head though I really had no room to talk. I had gotten the name of someone I didn't know for a permanent body decoration, but at least I hadn't had sex with them. Or, at least, I don't think I did. My faulty memory reminded me of the reason I came in here in the first place. "What happened last night?"
He gave me the same answer he had before. "Who knows."
"You don't remember anything?" I asked, desperate for answers.
"We went out and got drunk. That's all I remember I don't even know what that guy's name was." That didn't surprise me. This wasn't the first time he's had a one night stand.
"Well do you know who Lena is?"
"Who?"
I showed him the tattoo. He immediately started laughing. "It's not funny," I scolded.
"Yes, it is dear." His prissy accent was strained, and I could tell he had a hangover too.
"You don't know who she is either?" He shook his head. I sighed.
I've heard the story of people getting the name of a person they don't know all that well as a tattoo when they were high or drunk before, I just didn't think I would ever be one of those people. I always thought my drunken decision making wasn't too bad. I guess I was wrong.
Tom had gotten out of bed while I wasn't paying attention to him, and, as I had guessed, he was butt naked. "Whoa!" I said when I saw him. I had no desire to see him in his birthday suit, so I turned away quickly. "I'm getting out of here," I announced as I started toward the door.
About an hour later when Tom was ready, and the Advil had begun working we headed to the beach. It didn't matter that we were hung over that morning, we were ready to party again. That's what you're supposed to do during Spring break: party all day and night, wake up feeling like shit, then go out and party again, so that you don't remember you feel like shit.
"You don't have any strange tattoos do you?" I asked Tom as we got in the elevator.
"No," he answered. "I don't remember going to a tattoo parlor. Then again I don't remember coming back to the hotel either. We went to that club, then it's just a blank."
"We went to a club?" This was new information.
"Yeah, when we left the beach."
"Which club was it?"
"I don't remember the name, but I'd recognize it if I saw it."
"Do you think that's where you met what's-his-face?" I was referring to the guy I'd encountered this morning in Tom's hotel room.
He shrugged. "Probably."
"Do you think that's where I met Lena?"
He shrugged again. "Maybe."
"Do you think she'd be there again tonight?"
He looked at me like I was crazy. "What are you trying to do find her?"
I hadn't really thought about it until now. "I don't know. I'm just curious as to who she is."
"Yulia, honey," His gay accent was back to normal. "The chances of you finding this girl are microscopic. Do you know how many girls are here on Spring break? Do you know how many of them are probably named Lena? You don't even know what she looks like."
"I know. But maybe the bartender remembers me, and he remembers seeing me with her and could help me find her."
"The chances of you finding her are one in a million. It would take a miracle."
"I know. I know." I repeated. "But you know I'm quite possibly the most curious person on the planet. Can't we just go to the club and see?"
"Curiosity killed the cat," he quoted.
"Please?" I begged.
"Fine," He surrendered. "After we party at the beach."
"Thank you," I squealed and gave him a hug. "You know I love you, right?"
"Mmhmm," he hummed. "I know."
The elevator dinged and we stepped off into the lobby.
The beach is right across the street from the hotel which is really convenient. Only minutes after exiting the hotel we were in the midst of all the fun. Tom and I stayed together for a while, but he got lost when he went to get himself a beer. I wasn't worried, and I didn't try to find him once I realized he wasn't coming back. We could just meet up at the hotel later. I was in the middle of dancing anyway. I didn't want to stop just to go find him knowing that once I did we'd probably be separated again.
The band was really good. I had no idea who they were, but their music was wild and lively and really got the crowd going. The music was incredibly loud and I could feel the beat pulsate throughout my body. It energized me.
About halfway through the best song they had played yet a girl had came over and started dancing with me. The first thing I noticed about her was that she was really cute. She had red hair which has always been a big turn-on for me. She also had the most gorgeous green eyes I've ever seen, almost like a cat's. We didn't talk, we let our bodies communicate with one another through dance. She danced with me for a few songs then a girl I guess she knew came up and started talking to her. The girl pulled her away from me through the crowd. She looked back and winked at me before she was completely out of sight. 'Oh well' I thought. I had hoped maybe we could talk and make plans to get together later. She was really cute. I guess it didn't matter. I had other things to look forward to, like possibly meeting Lena.
It was about 10:30 or 11:00 when we finally got to the club. It took Tom a while to find it. We had been at the beach all day, and then we went out for dinner. I for one was exhausted afterwards so we went back to the hotel and took a nap. If we were going to be out half the night again we wouldn't want to get tired. It wouldn't be exactly like last night though. I had managed to control my alcohol consumption and had only had a couple of beers.
The club was more wild than the beach but the music was just as loud. It was much more crowded than the clubs we have at home. We had to practically push some people out of the way just so we could get to the bar. I asked the bartender Tom thought he recognized from the night before for a beer. Tom himself ordered some fruity drink.
When the bartender came back with our drinks I started talking to him. "Do you remember seeing me last night?"
He stared at my face for a moment trying to remember if in fact he did recognize me. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "So many people come in here every night. I don't remember you."
He walked off to serve a couple of guys who had taken their seats at the end of the bar. I sighed, defeated.
"Just give it up Yuls," Tom said. "You're not going to find her."
He was right There was no way I'd be able to find her now. That bartender was my last hope. "You win," I surrendered. "Let's just have some fun."
"Alright! Now you're talking." He took a sip of his drink and looked out towards the dance floor. I saw him lock eyes with a short-haired blonde guy who was quite obviously gay too. The guy had a flirty smile on his face, and I looked at Tom and saw he did too. "Now if you'll excuse me," He politely said as he slipped out of his seat.
"Wait!" I protested. "You can't leave me." But he was already gone. I watched him walk to the guy and begin to dance sensuously with him. Dancing right next to them was a familiar face.
It was the cute redhead I'd danced with earlier that day at the beach.
'Well,' I thought. 'If Tom could hook up with a random person, so can I.' I grabbed my drink and headed to the dance floor. "Hey." I said sneaking up behind her. My voice was barely audible over the beat of the music.
She turned around. He face brightened up as she recognized me. "Hey!" I loosened up my body and began moving to the infectious rhythm. "So you remember me?" I could barely hear her even though our bodies were only inches away.
"Of course I do," I shouted.
It was too much of a hassle to hold a conversation under these conditions, so we just danced, much like we had earlier. We stayed there for a few songs until we got tired. Then we went to sit at the bar. I told the bartender to get her a beer too. He brought one back and she took a drink of it as I took a drink from mine. "So what's your name?" I asked.
She looked at me funny. "You said you remembered me."
"I do," I said confused. "You're the girl from the beach."
"You don't remember me from last night?" When I didn't answer she stood up and pulled down the back of her jeans with her thumb. There was my name clear as day tattooed in bold, cursive, black letters across her milky, freckled flesh. "I'm Lena. Remember?"