Page 1 of Yours, Truly

1

THE MEETING

Stepping off the plane, I was almost knocked over by the scorching summer heat that suffocated the air. The sun beating in the sky, beaming through the windows and heating the crowded space of chaos. Racing through the airport, I tried to locate the exit in this unfamiliar maze, people filling the space at every twist and turn, all hot and sweaty but excited by the weather. Children were jumping around their parents as they waited for the arrival of their luggage on the belts. I had begun to regret my decision to wear jeans and a long-sleeved top to work today. It wasn't the best outfit for this temperature but I also didn't expect to be in Barcelona at midday in September. Today wasn't a usual Friday, it felt surreal. Not even three hours ago I was in my office in London and now I was in another country, exhausted, cranky and unprepared. Things change quickly with work but never this short notice or to this extreme.

As soon as I entered the office this morning, my colleagues frantically charged around practically shoving me out the door.My boss Angelina scraped together some clothes from our fashion department in my size to wear to the meeting and sent her PA to pick up some small travel essentials and a phone charger; there was no time for me to go home and pack a bag. The meeting was scheduled for 3pm and before I knew it, I was on the next flight out to make sure I arrived in time. I checked my phone, 12.30pm, tapping the screen impatiently waiting for the information about this client so I could prepare my pitch. It was different to anything I had worked on before. This was my co-worker Jennifer's expertise. My department was usually premium beauty and fashion products whereas Jennifer was fine wines and any other luxury alcoholic beverages. This was a big deal to Angelina and the company. It was the biggest client we had this year with the biggest account. Which made it even more impossible to screw up.

I could endure this uncomfortable heat. I was only going to be here for one night. I would usually have enjoyed this luxury perk to the job, an all-expensed holiday in a beautiful city, but on the night of my sister’s 30th birthday party I knew I wouldn't hear the end of it. I still hadn't worked up the courage to tell her I wasn’t able to attend. That I wasn't even in the country. I had to call her soon and break the news despite my excuses to keep delaying the inevitable. But right now, my main focus was to get to the hotel so I could freshen up. My heels clomped on the floor aggressively as I hurried to hail a taxi, with the company's charcoal suitcase dragged behind trying to keep up with its tiny wheels. Sweat started to drip down my forehead as I dabbed with a tissue every few seconds to avoid smearing my make-up,not sure why as it had already melted. My jeans clung to my legs and the humidity frizzed my perfectly straightened tangerine hair quicker than a sponge absorbed water. Not being prepared wasn’t something I liked, it made me feel uneasy, uncomfortable. It was like an itch I couldn’t scratch. I usually had a plan but today I didn’t and that bothered me.

After what seemed like forever, I finally checked into my hotel room; the luxury penthouse suite provided by the company located in the city centre. I placed the cabin bag on the king size bed that stood in the middle of the room, lined with fresh white linen without so much as a crease. Now imperfect from the heaviness of my suitcase resting on it. I unzipped it ready to unpack just as my attention was pulled to the view of the city, distracting me from the task at hand.

The bedroom was the opposite of outside, the air conditioning flowing through the room. The windows allowed the sun to filter in but leaving the heat outside, a humongous glass door welcoming the balcony. I closed my eyes taking in a deep breath welcoming the coolness of the room before admiring the view a few steps away. The view was incredible; the city beneath me was alive but had a different feel to London, somewhat calmer and more peaceful. It may have had something to do with the horizon or how high the penthouse was located. A turquoise ocean met the clear blue sky creating that tranquil photo you see in all travel magazines. I sighed as calmness washed over me, the fresh smell of the ocean in the distance carried in the summer heat, forcing me to crack a smileto myself. This was the life. And now, I wished I could be here for longer. I took a photo, as this was the closest to luxury I would be getting to experience in my lifetime, not even my pay cheque could afford one night here.

I returned to unpack my suitcase allowing the outfit, a black fitted dress, out of the bag and hung it on the wardrobe to avoid creasing. I threw the cherry-red stilettos on the bed which paired perfectly with the petite clutch that was still sitting in the case.I pulled my makeup bag out of my handbag and found a ruby red lipstick. I was guessing this was the look Angelina wanted; a powerful classy woman with a killer red lipstick, a black liner as sharp as a knife.I can do this. I took a breath before I strolled into the hotel bathroom to turn on the giant 3-headed shower, giving it time to warm. This gave me a moment to call Brie to update her on the situation.

“Hey, Gi, Tonight's the night!” she squealed as soon as she answered the call. “I can't wait to see you later!” I placed her on loudspeaker while I prepared myself for the shower.

“Brie…” I sighed, as I soaked a cotton pad with micellar water to wipe my existing makeup off my face.

“No Gigi you promised!” The excitement had changed into frustration and disappointment. “What's more important than your sister’s 30th?”

“I'm sorry. I had no choice, Angelina pushed me on a plane last minute to Barcelona to meet a very important client. Jennifer is sick and I am the only one who can do this,” I tried to explain. My job as a Marketing Assistant Manager meantsometimes my social life had to take a hit. Not often but when it could cost us a lot of money or a client, sacrifices need to be made.

“I can't believe you would do this!” she sighed.

“Brie, I’m sorry, it's part of the job. I'll be home tomorrow and we can celebrate then.” I tried to reason with her, knowing that she wouldn’t accept it, just to lighten the situation. I could understand why she was upset but I knew if the situation was reversed, she would do the same.

“Tomorrow is too late, you know how important this is and I was going to introduce you to Hugh. You guys would be so perfect together.” I rolled my eyes at another attempt for a setup. It wasn’t long ago she tried to set me up with her old co-workers. Brie was now trying to set me up with one of her husband’s big finance friends. She was obsessed with making sure I met someone who would financially look after me, so I could focus on being a lady of leisure, bringing up children and not having to work when I get to 30, but I loved working. I didn't want to rely on a husband for everything.

I felt so guilty for missing her party of course I did, but this conversation wasn’t something I was going to entertain just to make her feel better. The guilt card was a specialty my sister would pull when things didn’t go her way and she wanted to put herself back on the pedestal by dragging everyone else down.

“I already told you, I don't need you to set me up. I'm happy as I am,” I cheerfully replied, hiding the anger that wanted to surface. I wasn’t going to let it bother me or let her tear medown because I wasn’t making her party.

“Gi, you are going to be 30 in two years, you need to settle down and not be married to your job. Work isn’t going to keep you warm at night. Mum and Dad are worried about you, if you won't look then we will,” my sister scolded as she took charge of my love life.

I was only 28, I had plenty of time to find someone and settle down. She always used our parents in conversations which made me feel guilty. I knew my parents wanted to make sure we were happy, that we would find someone and bring grandchildren into the world but the way Brie played into that wasn’t fair. She made my life feel like a disappointment as I didn’t follow the social norm.

Brie was lucky; she married her childhood sweetheart, James, when she was 25. They had been through a lot of growth and even though James was a workaholic, he had an amazing job, meaning my sister was financially secure enough to leave her job whenever she wished. She always looked down on me as I didn’t have the cash to splash as I desired. James knew my sister was high maintenance and still stuck by her side, vowing to give her everything she wants and needs. It wasn’t my business how their relationship worked but all I knew was James was a great guy, down to earth and he had my sister’s best interests at heart even if it did make her spoilt.

“I need to go, Brie,” I said abruptly, letting her know I was done with this topic. My tone changed to be a little sharper with her. “Happy Birthday,” I said and ended the call before she could say another word.

I threw the phone across the room onto my bed allowing it to bounce and thankful it didn’t bounce and hit the floor. I was frustrated! My sister always judged my life choices. My parents loved us both so much; they didn’t get involved in our spats, not wanting to upset any of us. In a way, throughout my childhood and teen years, support from them was non-existent making me feel anxious and insecure. As I grew up and found my feet, it's like they grew too and the support into adulthood flourished. I knew my parents wanted us to be happy however we chose to live our life but I always felt like a little bit of a disappointment to them if I wasn’t my sister’s mini version.

She’s just looking out for you, she means no harm. She is supposed to guide you even if she’s not gentle. Don’t take it personally. The words ring in my mind from my parents, whenever I got upset over Brie’s comments. I loved Brie to pieces; she was my sister so I kind of had to but she was difficult. The world had to revolve around her and my parents never put her in her place or corrected her, even when she was wrong. She was the ‘perfect’ daughter. And I knew I would never live up to a duplicate version of her. There was no pressure to be her but I also felt like my parents doted on her a lot; I kind of was left to my own devices. I guess it made me the strong, independent woman I am today; I don’t need to be coddled.

I stepped into the shower repeating my affirmations in my head, not letting this get under my skin. I was in Barcelona, I had a great job and I was happy. I had worked my way up in thiscompany for the last 5 years and now I was in charge of the biggest account, in an all-inclusive hotel and with the company credit card in my purse for expenses; I was going to enjoy it.

Finally ready to leave, I took one more glance in the mirror adjusting my jewellery simultaneously composing myself. The dress fit perfectly, hugging all my curves, yet still looked professional with a hint of sexy. The neckline wasn't too low; I placed a small diamond necklace and a diamond tennis bracelet borrowed from the company too. The dress hugged my hips before resting against my skin just below my knees. I nervously straightened any existing creases down, making sure the fabric was as perfect as it could be. I had also never worn anything like this before so was a little uncomfortable and unconfident that I could pull something like this off.

I closed my eyes ‘I look amazing’I repeated until I believed it. The cherry-red stilettos gave my body a lift and with my affirmation, it enhanced my confidence like I was walking on top of the world. I checked my make up one more time and gently fluffed my fire-orange curls to rest on my shoulders before grabbing my clutch off the bed and heading downstairs.

The hotel bar was very quaint and quiet this time of day; only a couple of people scattered around in business suits. I could see why this place was used to conduct business; discrete but also classy. The dim lighting illuminated a massive mahogany bar, the round tables matched. The chairs were a luxurious, softvelvet in a deep crimson that engulfed your body in the egg-like seat. I took a seat and the soft velvet brushed against my exposed skin leaving behind a shock of comfort.

On the table, I set the small information that had been hidden in the bottom of the suitcase; Jennifer's proposal. I began to read through it as I still had some time left and made some small annotations on the side to sound more natural to me. I didn’t want to try and be Jennifer. I needed to be authentic and at least only talk about what I understood, as far as I knew the client would be aware of the situation and would be a little more understanding. We all worked differently but with the client’s best interest at heart.

I waited patiently for the client to arrive, however the time continued to pass: 5, 10, 20 minutes and still no sign of them. No text, calls or emails. I decided to wait a little longer before contacting Angelina. There could be a number of reasons for lateness of which none of them were my business. I just hoped that there had been a miscommunication in times with flying abroad and the different time zones. The waiter began to hover around me like a bird around prey; my guess was he was waiting to grab the table from under me, even though there were plenty free. A few unimpressed glares made him back off a little while longer until I could hold him off no more.

“Sorry, Miss, we need this table,” he politely said with a small apologetic smile, swallowing the fear that lodged in his throat as he approached me.Was I that intimidating?I thought to myself and if I was honest, I liked this feeling; I felt empowered.

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