Claudia's Big Break Read Online Free Page A

into her seat, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
    â€˜I wanted to be a famous fashion designer,’ said Sophie. ‘How did I wind up practising law?’
    â€˜Um,’ I said, mumbling into my peanuts, ‘I kind of lost my way after the frog thing.’
    Sophie shook her head and sighed. After settling Levi (I promised to switch seats with Sophie and play Snap with him after his nap), she put on her eye mask as well. How she managed to do it without completely messing up her hair entertained my thoughts for several moments. Tara’s hair was all over the place.
    Following my friends’ lead, I reclined my seat to maximum (much to the annoyance of the budding Biggest Loser candidate behind me) and donned an eye mask, as well as ear plugs, in an effort to block out extraneous noises. But I couldn’t get comfortable. My mind was racing, leapfrogging from one thought to another. Truth was, I was pinning all my hopes on this holiday giving me some much needed direction in my less than scintillating professional and personal life. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I was soul-searching, but I really needed to get some perspective. I didn’t want to arrive at seventy and wonder what the hell it had all been for.
    You see, my life had changed dramatically four years ago when I’d fallen in love with gorgeous George. He was in the navy and I couldn’t resist a handsome man in uniform (or out of one for that matter). After we’d been dating for three months, he suggested I move into his luxury city apartment. I was head over heels in love, so I jumped at the chance. I was thirty-five and certain he was the one. Before I knew it, I’d given notice on my flat in Toowong, put my furniture into storage and become happily ensconced in George’s magnificent thirteenth-floor apartment with spectacular city and river views. Of course, I neglected to pay attention to the finer details of the arrangement: namely that the monthly rent was more than my monthly salary — before tax — and that George expected I’d contribute half. But I didn’t mind. I was in love and the apartment was seriously stunning.
    It was all dreamy for the first couple of years; so good, in fact, I went off the pill. My biological clock was clanging away, especially as Sophie already had little Levi. I had visions of us having babies and basking in the glory of motherhood together.
    George seemed keen enough — not for marriage, but certainly about the possibility of us having a baby together. However, less than a month after we made the decision, he got shipped out to sea on a naval exercise. ‘But only for three months,’ he promised.
    Well, three months quickly turned into four and, soon after, his monthly rent payments stopped. Not only was I alone but I was paying out way more money than I was earning, what with rental, utilities and George’s car repayments (I know, so foolish!).
    When I mentioned the topic of rent in my emails and fortnightly phone conversations with him, he responded by saying he’d send through his share. And I didn’t doubt him. We were in love. We were going to have a baby when he returned. But still, I was racking up enormous debts and becoming increasingly anxious, especially as I’d only recently started working at Cassoli Imports.
    My bank even rang Marcus to check I was gainfully employed. I’d taken out several largish cash advances, which the manager had no hesitation in blabbing about to Marcus. Talk about privacy issues.
    Two days after George arrived back after being away eight months, our relationship was over and I was in massive sexually transmitted debt — and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. George may have been a fraud and a swindler, but nobody had forced me to pay his rent and car loan repayments. I was a schmuck.
    Then there was Marcus. After George, I was at a really low point. But I hit absolute