Hello Family,
Well, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you all. I know I just up and left but I was not happy with my life here. I know my unhappiness never showed but under my rosy red cheeks, my delightful grin that makes one think of a baby’s laugh, was an incredibly depressed individual. I felt every day was the same, always welcoming everyone that walked by, whether they were stopping by or not. To make things worse, what hurt the most was the lack of attention I got from my own family. I welcomed you all every day, but never a “hello” or any sort of acknowledgment from any of you. It finally became too much.
Finally after nights of being left outside in the cold winter I saw some drunk college kids and thought to myself “why didn’t I have fun when I was young?” I looked back at what I called home and decided I needed to live, so I went with them. That night was the best night of my life to that point, I think...I honestly can’t remember much. However, life after that was amazing. I spent night in closets, dryers, bathrooms, you name it I slept there. As fun as my new life was, I wanted more, and one of my roommates used up all the Internet bandwidth downloading porn.
Upon talking to a new friend I got involved in a very lucrative business deal in Barcelona, yeah Spain. I WAS GOING TO SPAIN! My life seemed complete. I was pulling in five figures a year and I quickly became one of the most notable names in Spanish business, and I pulled a suit off damn well if you ask me. My time at this electronics firm I couldn’t help but to feel that my family back in Mt. Pleasant would be so proud of me. No more was I a second hand bouncer at my home, no, I was on my way of being vice president of a multibillion dollar firm. I had it all you guys, money, women and as ashamed as I am to admit this to you guys, drugs.
My time as a high end business person in Barcelona definitely had its perks, but it’s downfalls almost was the end of me. My friends tried to make me go to rehab, but I said, “No, no, no!” I was invincible, or so I thought. One night I overdosed and came moments away from losing my life. I don’t know who, or what saved my life that night but I owe them my life. However, things in Spain aren’t like it here in the States. After being admitted to the hospital, I was quickly booked for drug possession charges and had to spend a few months in jail as I sobered up. No beach resort rehabilitation centers for me...nope, the big house was calling my name.
After getting clean and showing good behavior I was let out before my sentence was up. I tried to go back to work, but they don’t hire ‘drug fiends.’ So it was just me and the streets of Barcelona. Finding work wasn’t as easy as I thought it would have been. I shortly began to run out of money and had to sleep on the streets. The first few nights were rough. You never really know how far you’d go for a few bucks until you are in the situation I was. Some of the things I did...let’s not get into it, please. I almost called you guys begging for money to get back to the States, but I thought by now I would have been replaced, so I continued sleeping on the streets. Life got easier though. You get used to the conditions and living off peoples spare pocket change. I eventually found a companion and settled in a courtyard and soon called it home. All of a sudden life seemed all right. One day I came across some kids playing soccer, so I thought I’d join in. What happened next you’d never believe.
While playing soccer, or should I say futbol, a scout for the Barcelona Futbol Club was watching me. ME! A worthless hobo! He liked what I had and told me to come to the next team practice in a few days. Of course I jumped on that opportunity. After practicing with the team for a few days in a row the general manager pulled me into his office. My heart was pounding. He told me that I had what it took to be apart of Barcelona and I am suiting up for their next game against their rival, Real Madrid. What an honor! The crowd quickly took a liking to me and just after a few games I was considered on of the all stars on the team. I soon saw my face everywhere in Barcelona. Juan de Julio they called me. I don’t know why, but I quickly took a liking to it and changed my name. Again, I was on top of the Barcelona social ladder, but this time I wasn’t going to mess up. No, I learned my lesson...getting clean is a bitch.
Shortly after I started one of the teams we were playing were down by 5 goals and decided to start playing dirty. I, unfortunately, was their victim. I was tripped and severely tore my hamstring. I had to be helped off the field by my teammates, all of them telling me I’d be fine, but we all knew what was going to happen. I dreaded the news I was about to receive while I was sitting in the doctor’s office. Finally he turned to me and said that I should go on vacation because I wasn’t going to be able to play for the rest of the season. I was devastated, but my coach assured me it’d be okay. So, I took the doctor’s advice and started to look for warm vacationing spots. While sitting on the porch of our house I remember always thinking to myself, “Cancun would be a nice place to visit.”
Arriving in Mexico was a completely different experience than Spain. The people, the atmosphere...the food, OH THE FOOD! I probably put on 5 pounds the first day I got there! After my first day exploring Cancun I finally decided to go to the beach front villa Barca rented out for me. OH MY GOD! It was gorgeous, you guys! Needless to say, I spend most of my time laying out on the beach. My fifth day there a young child ran up to me, recognizing me as the only Juan de Julio. Since my porch days I have despised kids, so I was about to tell him to get lost when I saw the woman he was with. I never believed in love until then. Thankfully, the little brat was just her nephew. So, I asked her out, and I am Juan de Julio, of course she said yes. She completed me. I have never been happier in my life. We did everything together, watched TV, cooked and my favorite, went on long walks on the beach. I felt like she was the only girl for me. One evening, while walking the beach, I proposed to her, and duh, she said,”¡si!” We married shortly after and had an extravagant wedding on the beach. My life was complete. Going home was the furthest thing from my mind at that point.
My time on the road is far too expansive to talk about so I’ll just show you a collection of pictures that were taken on my “vacation.” That's on my Facebook! You should search me! Juan Julio, my email is juandejulio34@gmail.com! Add me as a friend!
