Sergio's Journey Home

"Yo soy Sergio."

A soft, feminine voice responded from the darkness. "Hola Sergio. Soy Diana."

I had just arrived in the small town of Sant Quirze del Valls after a long flight from Mexico. The night was warm and still. I had taken a taxi from the town center to an unfamiliar home in the suburbs, where I had been invited to spend the night -- not by a friend, but by a woman I'd met on Tinder earlier that week.

I didn't know what to expect when I arrived at Diana's house. I hadn't told anyone that I was going to be traveling and I didn't have any plans set up for my stay in Spain; all I knew was that a girl named Diana had given me her address and her parents were out of town for the weekend. She told me she was 22 years old and lived with her younger brother and that they would both be happy to see me when I got there.

The taxi driver dropped me off at a white house with well-maintained gardens along the front walkway. A lamp was on inside and there were two bikes parked at the door. One of them was pink with purple streamers -- just like the one that Diana had posted on her Tinder profile picture. The other one was red and blue with stickers all over it -- just like the one she had in another photo on her Instagram page. There did not appear to be any other vehicles in the driveway; perhaps her parents were away after all?

Diana answered my knock wearing a yellow tank top, blue jeans and high heels. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, revealing bright green eyes that radiated warmth and kindness as she greeted me with a welcoming smile. She ushered me inside and took my backpack, placing it carefully onto an entryway bench as we made our way through her home.

"My brother is at his friends' house tonight," she said softly, leading me down a hallway towards bedrooms at the back of the house, "so we can talk for as long as you want before he gets back." She led me into her bedroom at the end of the hall and closed the door behind us before turning around to face me with an inviting look on her face; it seemed that she wanted more than just conversation tonight.