giggling subsided, Sal tentatively said, “So I don’t mean to pry, but I’ve been dying to know what Nick wanted all night. Emi told me he turned up.”
I’d been waiting to tell Sal about Nick, but I didn’t know where to start. The truth was that it really was great seeing him. Too great. More than anything, I wished I could just hit rewind and erase the last few weeks. Nick and I had been so happy together. Even though I knew it was wrong, I wanted him back. Seeing him tonight had made me realize how not over him I was. Still, I knew I could never go back to him. He’d lied about something pretty major. And even though I understood his motive for helping Teddy and Josh, he’d shown really, really bad judgment.
Sighing, I said, “Let’s just say it’s lucky I’m going away for a while. It will give me a chance to think and to heal a bit. The truth is, I’m still in love with Nick.”
“You know, Zara, no one would think any less of you if you two got back together. I’m not excusing what Nick did, but we all make mistakes. Plus, it’s Teddy and Josh who are the real villains in this story.”
“True, but how can you be with someone you don’t trust, Sal? Do you know how sick I felt when I heard Nick had been arrested and I couldn’t find him anywhere? I never, ever want to go through anything like that again in my life.”
“What you need is a holiday fling,” Sal remarked. “Having wild sex with a hot stranger will definitely help you get over Nick. I’m sure lots of cute guys volunteer. The Medecins Sans Frontieres doctors are always totally gorgeous.”
“I don’t know Sal. I’ve never actually had a fling before,” I replied unsure.
Sal waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry, flings are easy. It’s relationships that are hard. Just don’t fall in love and you’ll be fine.”
“So recreational sex only,” I said doubtfully.
“Exactly! Cheaper than therapy and it’s a lot more fun,” Sal laughed.
By 5:00 a.m. I couldn’t stop yawning and my eyes were involuntarily closing. I thought Sal should crash for the night, or what remained of it, but she was determined to go home and wake up in her own bed.
As soon as Sal left, I feel into a deep sleep that was only punctuated by my 7:30 alarm. I had exactly thirty minutes to take a shower and get dressed before heading to the airport.
At check-in I had the indignity of having to unpack my bags in front of the world because, despite my careful packing, I was “overweight.” Personally, I thought they should just weigh all the passengers with their baggage before determining who was overweight.
In the end it came down to a choice between my snakeskin stilettos, a travel guide to Namibia, or a $100 penalty for excess luggage. Needless to say, the travel guide didn’t make the flight. Namibia would have to remain a mystery for a bit longer. You just never know when a pair of snakeskin stilettos will come in handy!
Chapter 11
A
fter a long and boring flight, I could finally see Jo’burg laid out before me like a giant dusty tapestry. The contrast between rich and poor was evident even from the air. Out of the right-hand window I could see impressive-looking mansions with succulent green lawns and sparkling blue swimming pools. As the plane banked sharply to the left, however, I could see a large shanty town with row after row of stifling-looking corrugated iron sheds leaning haphazardly into one another.
From my Googling, I knew the slum areas were dangerous places and best avoided. With people crammed into such a small area, it was little wonder that crime was a popular pastime. I couldn’t imagine living like that and could understand people’s sheer desperation to get out.
Looking around at my fellow passengers, I was feeling apprehensive about how I was going to recognize Asha’s friends and my hosts for the next day, Michael and JoJo. Asha had described Michael as athletic-looking with a big smile, and JoJo as a
I’d been waiting to tell Sal about Nick, but I didn’t know where to start. The truth was that it really was great seeing him. Too great. More than anything, I wished I could just hit rewind and erase the last few weeks. Nick and I had been so happy together. Even though I knew it was wrong, I wanted him back. Seeing him tonight had made me realize how not over him I was. Still, I knew I could never go back to him. He’d lied about something pretty major. And even though I understood his motive for helping Teddy and Josh, he’d shown really, really bad judgment.
Sighing, I said, “Let’s just say it’s lucky I’m going away for a while. It will give me a chance to think and to heal a bit. The truth is, I’m still in love with Nick.”
“You know, Zara, no one would think any less of you if you two got back together. I’m not excusing what Nick did, but we all make mistakes. Plus, it’s Teddy and Josh who are the real villains in this story.”
“True, but how can you be with someone you don’t trust, Sal? Do you know how sick I felt when I heard Nick had been arrested and I couldn’t find him anywhere? I never, ever want to go through anything like that again in my life.”
“What you need is a holiday fling,” Sal remarked. “Having wild sex with a hot stranger will definitely help you get over Nick. I’m sure lots of cute guys volunteer. The Medecins Sans Frontieres doctors are always totally gorgeous.”
“I don’t know Sal. I’ve never actually had a fling before,” I replied unsure.
Sal waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry, flings are easy. It’s relationships that are hard. Just don’t fall in love and you’ll be fine.”
“So recreational sex only,” I said doubtfully.
“Exactly! Cheaper than therapy and it’s a lot more fun,” Sal laughed.
By 5:00 a.m. I couldn’t stop yawning and my eyes were involuntarily closing. I thought Sal should crash for the night, or what remained of it, but she was determined to go home and wake up in her own bed.
As soon as Sal left, I feel into a deep sleep that was only punctuated by my 7:30 alarm. I had exactly thirty minutes to take a shower and get dressed before heading to the airport.
At check-in I had the indignity of having to unpack my bags in front of the world because, despite my careful packing, I was “overweight.” Personally, I thought they should just weigh all the passengers with their baggage before determining who was overweight.
In the end it came down to a choice between my snakeskin stilettos, a travel guide to Namibia, or a $100 penalty for excess luggage. Needless to say, the travel guide didn’t make the flight. Namibia would have to remain a mystery for a bit longer. You just never know when a pair of snakeskin stilettos will come in handy!
Chapter 11
A
fter a long and boring flight, I could finally see Jo’burg laid out before me like a giant dusty tapestry. The contrast between rich and poor was evident even from the air. Out of the right-hand window I could see impressive-looking mansions with succulent green lawns and sparkling blue swimming pools. As the plane banked sharply to the left, however, I could see a large shanty town with row after row of stifling-looking corrugated iron sheds leaning haphazardly into one another.
From my Googling, I knew the slum areas were dangerous places and best avoided. With people crammed into such a small area, it was little wonder that crime was a popular pastime. I couldn’t imagine living like that and could understand people’s sheer desperation to get out.
Looking around at my fellow passengers, I was feeling apprehensive about how I was going to recognize Asha’s friends and my hosts for the next day, Michael and JoJo. Asha had described Michael as athletic-looking with a big smile, and JoJo as a
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