Tropical sun rays glinted off turquoise waters, beckoning her brown skin to a richer shade of chocolate, turning mine from a wintry white to a pale pink that stung slightly, like a lovebite that lands right at the threshold between pleasure and pain. We waltzed in waist-deep lagoons while slurping rummy cocktails out of coconut halves. Sometimes twice in a single day we found ourselves tangled up in clumsily wonderful sex (clumsy because we waited, and wonderful because, well, we waited). Nestled in a hammock strung between two palm trees, massaged by silver moon beams, I wondered if it could possibly get any more clumsy or wonderful.

Doris straightened her jacket and patted her curls. Potential customers filled the plush white armchairs before her, buzzing like curious flies, all lured in by her fancy paper fliers and the promise of free pastries. All that was left was convincing them to subscribe for Spa Today Away’s Spontaneity Vacation.

That woman in the front row with the face tattoo? Doris would seduce her with the concept: vacations so spontaneous they could happen at literally any time.

The morning I am to begin my journey and receive my starter Pokémon from Professor Oak, I wake up sweaty from a dream. In the dream I am a Psyduck holding my head; yellow, dumb, and in pain. The other eleven-year-olds mock me, calling me a runt like they do in real life because I have to stand on tippy toes to reach the Pokéshop counter when I purchase ethers and potions for Mother.

“We must live thriftily,” he said
to the next generation, waving
a pencil extender, with
not a little melodrama, and not a little hope.

Give an avocado gift to a friend as a kind gesture. Give an avocado gift to a friend to show them that you care in a quirky, unexpected way. Your friend was eating avocado toast long before this meal became fashionable and this friend often paired it with Brie cheese as a snack. Give a head pat to a friend who’s much taller than you to let them know how enjoyable it is to pat their head, especially if they have silky hair. They’ll most likely find it strange that you’re patting their head in an affectionate display but they won’t find it strange because they know you very well.