Comings and Goings

Weeks after the American premiere, Harry Potter finally deigns to show his face in sunny Spain. I am beyond indignant. Cathy refuses to accompany me, as she saw the movie back home before making her way to Madrid. All she seems to remember is that it was very long.

María and Claudia departed this morning at 6.00 am, lightly tapping on the door to the living room so I could lock the door behind them. They head to Salamanca for the day, then onward to the northern province of Galicia, to meet up with another friend. Cathy and I had gotten rather used to the girls, and now we sit around wondering what to do next. We explain to each other our day's plans slowly, thinking them through as if they require a great deal of attention and thought. After moments of pondering I say, "I think I'm going to the English bookstore today. And then I'll check my email at the internet café." These are the lazy days of summer.

To keep the customs agents questioning, I've pretty much decided to head to London at the end of this month, where they'll stamp my passport and allow me three more worry-free and legal months in Madrid. My jaunt to London will help set the months in order -- so that now, when my three month tourist visa expires, it will be September, a month when it's quite possible that I have to go back to the States to get my work visa anyway (this will depend on what kind of job I'm able to get. My fingers are crossed for the legal kind of job, above all). Afterwards, it will be another three months until December, when I would likely go home for Christmas anyway. I am an outlaw, above the laws of the European Union. I am an American Zorro, swashbuckling my way through customs.