Why are plane tickets so expensive?

Hmmm the real question is: Why the heck did I have to fall in love with a guy that lives in Chicago? ;) Silly, silly me! It's costing me an arm and a leg every time I wanna go see (hm, well, touch!) him.

I met this wonderful man about 4 or 5 years ago, in an online role playing game called Omerta. He had a lot of spare time then, he was out of a job at the moment. And I am a real nightowl so it didn't really matter to me he was online late usually. We happened to be in the same family (Omerta is a mafia game so the players are organised in families) and we chatted a lot in the family channel on irc. I have to admit that at the time I had quite a short fuse and could blow up about almost everything. And always there was this guy around, Chitown, who could calm me down and make me see things differently.

We talked a lot, about life, cooking, the game...and somehow we became close friends, for as far as that is possible on the internet. For example, I like to be honest about myself, or better: I am too lazy to come up with a bunch of lies having to remember what I told to whom and why. But I know there are a lot of people out there that DO make themselves look a lot better than they think they really are. And who was to say Chitown wasn't one of those people?

Oh well...I had overcome a lot of health problems and was promised a vacation on my own, anywhere I wanted to go. And for some strange reason I decided to go visit Chitown. You know, just to go visit a friend. 

There was another friend of ours, Kiemlicz- my brother in the game, that said he'd fly over for a few days too. 

So there I went, on a two week vacation to Chicago. And I have to say, I fell in love immediately...with the city :) Don't know why but I felt so at home in Chicago! Chitown was a wonderful host. He had to work but after work he took me out to dinner and in the weekends we went to Millennium Park and Navy Pier and so on. Kiemlicz joined us for 3 days and we had loads of fun! I ate my very first lobster ever, we went to a jazz club...I had the time of my life!

And I went home again after a wonderful vacation. We lost touch with Kiemlicz, alas. But Chitown and I became even better friends. And I mean: friends. No 'benefits' or anything :p

The year after that vacation was rather tumultuous. My (ex)husband and I were building an apartment over our restaurant, we moved there to live together after having lived apart for over 10 years, and we ended up divorcing after having been together for 28 years, after 21 years of marriage.

So that was quite a shock! I had no friends here to talk with, only had my online friends Andrea and of course Chitown. And although my feelings for him had grown a little before the divorce, when I was 'free' I fell truly madly, deeply in love with the friend that was always ready for a chat, always had good advice...

So this summer I returned to Chicago. This time for 3 weeks. I had finished my studies and done the exams and I wanted to be far away from home on my birthday. 

Again, I had a wonderful time in Chicago. For me, mostly, because I could finally be with my 'boyfriend'. We have done a lot of nice things again, a lot of 'firsts' for me like my first rootbeer (you guys do know it tastes like mouthwash, right? ). On my birthday my darling took me to Medieval Times, in a limo! I kinda felt like Cinderella :)

After 3 weeks I went back home. But I left my heart in Chicago! And I have to go back there as often as possible to see if my sweetheart is taking good care of it ;) I am already looking forward to my next vacation! I wanna go in spring because I have seen Chicago both in summer and in fall now.

You know, I think I could live there... But I'd have to get a visa and that's not so easy. So for now I have to settle with vacations. Maybe if I get a job I can save enough to go twice a year. Because one thing is sure: Chicago is my kinda town ;) And not only because I fell in love with one of it's inhabitants!

Y'all have a great day!