Fairy Tale Fail Read Online Free Page B

I had to admit it – I wasn't strong
enough to be that close to him.
     
    ***
     
    That weekend I did a few
things.
    First, I chopped off my hair. Well,
not all by myself. I went to the salon and asked for short hair
again, not like Winona Ryder of the nineties, but a little longer
than that with less fringe. Horribly typical, but yeah, I asked
them to cut off the hair that Don liked.
    Passive-aggressive much?
    I also wrote a resignation letter. I
didn't tell Charisse because she'd talk me out of it, but I just
couldn't be within Don's reach anymore.
    My boss Tara was a cool,
thirty-something woman and she knew about our breakup story. So
even though my resignation letter said "want to explore other
career options" she didn't believe it.
    "This is what I'll do," she said. "My
friend up in Client Services needs someone in her team. I will
recommend you for it. You'll be on a different floor, and you will
never have to see anyone from this area ever again if you don't
want to. It's a different project, so you can find out if you
really want to change careers. This way you won't waste all the
years you spent learning about the company and what we
do."
    I couldn't argue with her, and at
least I didn't have to worry about finding a new job.
    "Okay," I just said, grateful that I
had her looking out for me. "I'll need to turn over my tasks to
somebody..."
    "Email that to me. Also, I think you
should take a break. The Client Services post doesn't officially
start for a few more weeks."
    "What do you mean take a
break?"
    "I mean take a break . You keep talking about
going to Bangkok. Just go already."
     
     

Chapter 6
     
    I had been obsessively planning trips
for years. It was probably my only regular hobby, that wasn't
watching movies or TV.
    That first trip (with my younger
sister Rita) to Hong Kong did it. Something about being in the
airport, and going into an unfamiliar city – that was exciting for
me. Knowing that I had absolutely everything to look forward
to.
    Too bad I just couldn't afford to do
it that often. Like Don pointed out, I wasn't exactly a hotshot
executive, and I didn't make that much. I also felt like I didn't
have the time, but really, I was probably just waiting for a travel
companion. Someone who would enjoy the adventure with
me.
    This time I had no excuse, though,
once my boss pretty much commanded me to go. So, finally, all those
notes about Bangkok were put to good use. Thank God for the
Internet, and everyone who ever felt the need to review every
single hotel, tourist trap, and airline, because I got by purely on
web research.
    Bangkok was my first truly
solo trip. I didn't have any friends there (unlike in HK or
Singapore), so I prepared a borderline-obsessive "survival list"
that included emergency phone numbers, "please," "thank you" and
"help" in Thai, and a bunch of other tips. I found myself a cheap
hotel room in Pratunam, planned some DIY tours that involved
getting around on the train system or hiring a tuktuk , and stashed my shopping
budget in three separate wallets.
    In a way, I was glad that
Don wasn't around for it. He had this quiet way of bearing with my
hobbies, as if he was there merely as a means of transport and not
a participant. I would have had to ask him constantly if he was
game for this place, for that meal, for this mall, and I would have to hear him ask me if I really needed
that bag, that pair of shoes, that belt, and so on.
    Sure, in my ideal world, my boyfriend
would be with me and he'd love it, but on that trip I discovered
that traveling on my own terms was fun too. I knew I wouldn't run
into Don – or anyone he knew – anywhere, even if I walked all day
and all night.
    Don was sort of right, by
the way. I did change a bit when we got together. I didn't travel
because I wanted him with me. I kept trying to think of things we
could do together when it shouldn't have mattered so much.
    Ellie the Free Spirit was the girl he
fell in love with, the kind of person he kept