I am living vicariously through my friend Jim

I am living vicariously through my best friend Jim, the very least he could do is finish my list of all the things I want to do on "our" vacation.
I have a list of cities I want to see before I leave this earth. I have them listed alphabetically and in order of importance. I have had this list, which has changed and morphed as I have gotten older and crossed some off, since I was 20 years old. While I am in a holding pattern due to life and kids, My friends have been able to jet set off and see the world.

One friend in particular, Jim, has always traveled. His and my first big trip out of the country was together going to Spain, circa 1978. We were babies in high school and went with our Spanish teacher a fierce woman, named Mrs. Bradshaw. Mrs. B's actions in Spain was the stuff of legends. Jim and I still laugh about that trip to this day. Every year he goes to Italy and at least one other place, sometimes Morocco, France, eastern Europe, wherever his desires leads he gladly follows. I sit in my Houston kitchen listening to the latest installment of his adventures.

This year he had plans to visit my number one city on my list. Buenes Aires is a city I long to go to. I sit and look at pictures, read recipes of traditional food and listen to the beat of the tango. This is the place I have waited my entire life to see. It is in my opinion the place to beat all places. Buenes Aires is a place of sensuality filling your eyes with bright colors and blue skies, your nose with the scent of empanadas freshly made and your ears drink in the sultry music of the tango being danced in the streets. I have never been there physically, but my mind can conjure the image of it every time I am stuck waiting in line at the grocery store. When I do finally go, I have no doubt that the reality will dwarf my imagination.

Jim just got back from Buenes Aires. He's single and has carefully constructed his life, so he can travel often. I was not jealous of my friend going before me. I was elated at the idea of any stories he came back with confirming my research. I did make several vacation requests of him since he was going in my stead. He fulfilled many of them, however, he did not have an encounter with a beautiful, raven haired stranger as I had hoped. I am married so I take my beautiful stranger with me everywhere I go. Bless my husband's heart, he plays along with my crazy ideas and "meets" me every trip we take. I get the best of both worlds, I get my chance romantic encounter and not have to worry about whether he is going to steal my wallet. It's not a bad way to go, try it sometime. Hook up with your own spouse in a bar. It's only corny or stupid if you don't commit to the role.

Jim got back with tales of beautiful buildings, incredible food, street fairs and of course the Tango. They dance in the street, for Pete's sake. This place is hot! I sat glued to my kitchen chair as he told tales of the people , the kindness, the artisans and the shopping. Hello somebody. I am not a shopper until I go on a trip. I love buying jewelry on trips. Every time I wear the piece I think about where I was when I bought it, I digress. I listened as Jim described the hardship the people have had to endure since the our own economic melt down in 2002. They are resilient and in the midst of crisis something wonderful happened.

The people in Buenes Aires got moving and set their imaginations free . They painted or knitted or made jewelry or whatever they could to survive and out of the money pit came creative genius. Jim said they made extraordinary things with what talents they happen to possess. The street fairs contained not a few vendors, but a thousand vendors. They had gotten giant lemons hurled at them and caught them and turned them into not just lemonade, but the most refreshing, delightful beverage.

I told my husband all that Jim had said about my #1 city. We sat back and sighed knowing our day is coming. "Did he tango?" Mike asked. "No, he was busy doing other things," I said.
Michael looked at me with dark, sultry eyes,"I'm hoping that when I take you dancing the tango you forget about any other things." I looked at my dark haired stranger and leaned in close for the kiss. When he released me, I thought if this is the preview, it has been worth the wait.