Paris

Chapter One

"I don't know anything. Paris is your only choice," my dad said.

"But, what if I don't want to?"

"You have to, and I don't want any further argument on this. The college reunion is gonna be fun, sweetie."

"Dad, why don't you just leave me alone?"

"You've been invited. Your friends are gonna be there too. You're gonna have fun, sweetie. Apart from that, you have a job waiting there. You've worked for it your whole life. I don't even understand why I have to force you to go. I mean if it was anyone else-"

"Fine," I interrupted my dad. "I'm going to Paris. But I'll have to think about the college reunion."

"Don't worry, you'll have fun, sweetie. Take care."

"Sure," I said in a sarcastic tone.

My dad grabbed the newspaper and settled on the couch. He was a well-built man in his fifties, and by well-built, I mean he had a well-built belly which probably held all the food he has ever eaten.

"What are you staring at?"

I suddenly noticed that I've been staring at his belly for the past thirty seconds.

"Dad, I think you need to cut the sugar in your diet," I said poking his belly.

"I eat low-carb foods everyday. It's strange that I haven't lost any weight yet."

"You eat low-carb food? I didn't know that potato chips and ice-cream were low in carbohydrates. And, what about the burger which you ate at McDonald's with your colleagues, yesterday? Was it low-carb as well?" I smiled innocently.

His face was worth watching. He had a fake smile plastered on his face, his teeth showing last night's veggies, from the salad my mom specially made for him.

"How did you know?"

"How did I know? I have my sources and it's none of your business."

"Don't tell Shannon, please," he begged.

Shannon was my mom. My dad feared my mom like the devil. If my mom ever came to know about this, which she probably does already, dad might be banned from the occasional treats he gets to have.

"I'll think about it. If you behave properly, the secret shall be safe. First promise me, you're never gonna eat these... without me."

"Are you blackmailing me?"

"You bet. Don't worry, I'll keep my demands in limit."

"You better."

"What did you say, daddy?"

"Nothing, sweetie."

I gave him one last smile and grabbed my laptop to book the tickets. Paris... I kinda like that city, but it's way too crowded. I was doing all this just for the job. A college reunion isn't an obligation. I'd rather kiss a hippopotamus than see all those students once again. Hippos are cute though.

The job was important, it was really important to me. The only thing I've ever dreamed of, is to be independent in every way possible, financially as well as emotionally. My mom has been working her whole life as an accountant for our family. She has retired, but my dad, Raphael was still working. He was the manager in a local firm. The salary wasn't outstanding, but enough to make our ends meet.

*A week later*

"The flight from London, United Kingdom to Paris, France has been delayed by an hour due to some unavoidable mishap. Passengers are requested to be patient and wait in the waiting area. Sorry for the inconvenience caused."

Darn!

They didn't need to do that. Mishap, oh really? The next mishap is going to be me killing myself out of frustration. First, I have to go back to that city again, and I might actually have to attend the reunion. Second, some random guy insulted me right on my face just minutes before, cause I accidentally bumped into him. God seriously has something against me.

After waiting for a whole hour, while getting innumerable calls from my parents, my flight finally took off. Another frustrating thing was that some jerk sat on my window seat and refused to get up. I had to call the flight attendant.

After this crazy journey, I somehow reached Paris. The flight was around two hours and I was already exhausted. The first thing I needed to do after getting out of the airport was to visit my office. They would give me a temporary place to stay and also help me find an apartment.

While I was struggling to carry my three bags, some random lady came and started talking to me in French. Great.

"Comment puis-je vous aider?"

"Um... I don't speak French."

"Excusez-moi?"

"Me-no-speak-french-only-English"

"Do you need help?"

"You can speak English? Seriously? And you wasted my time? No, I don't need your frickin' help! Get lost!"

The lady's face was in shock. A few people around us were also gazing our way. Honestly, it wasn't too much. The lady wasted my five minutes blabbering in French, while she could clearly understand English, like what?

"Madam, I was just playing a little joke on you, you didn't need to react."

"I wanna jump from the Eiffel Tower right now. If you're done with your stupid joke, let me move!"

I was receiving some questioning looks from the people around me. They seriously thought my reaction was too much. This is the reason I didn't wanna come here. This place drives me crazy. 

Actually, I hate people.

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