East DOESN'T Meet West

Our intrepid traveler found himself glued to his chair like the thoughts were stuck in his brain. Twas the weather - was not so delightful. The gray clouds hung ominously in the air. There was no blue; only a humdrum of gray all day. When was it going to rain? He couldn’t stand these clouds, with their nefarious intentions yet not revealing their direction.

He turned on some jazz music on the youtube with a little fireside hearth and rain to amplify his mood. Maybe he would live up the moment. If the rain would not come outside then he could bring it to himself inside.

His story was going nowhere, so instead he dreamed of his upcoming cruise. They would rendezvous in Tuvalu, sailing the seas on a catamaran, drinking their fill of coconut from one island til the next, living the pirate’s life. Then they would sail between islands in search of greater bounty and greater fruit, until they would sneak aboard a large cruise ship for the day, eat the buffet and hop off before the ship departed, returning to their beachside hammock for the sunset. Yes, what a life. That would be it. 

The phone rang. It was her. 

“Hey, I’m not sure how to say this so I’m just gonna say it. I’m not coming down to Hong Kong to meet you.”

“Huh?” He responded, still in a trancelike state, trying to grasp what she was saying.

“Yea… I’ve decided to stay in Hangchow. I’ve met a man here so you can go on the cruise if you want but I’m not gonna go.”

“What? I mean I already booked our tickets for the cruise. What do you mean you’re not going? I thought you didn’t even like it there in Hangchow.”

“I don’t like Hangchow. But I like him. I know you already planned this trip for us and you’re flying all the way out here for me but I don’t know how else to say this - I met a man here and I like him, so I’m gonna stay for him.”

Our intrepid traveler was insipid. He wasn’t sure what to say.

“Umm, so should I push the dates out?”

“Did you not hear what I said? I’m going out with this guy now. I’m not coming down anymore. I know you were probably coming here to solidify our relationship status. I’m sorry. He asked me if I was going out with anyone, I said no and he asked me out and now we’re going out. I’m sorry, I feel really bad. I bought an activities voucher for you to comp you for our tickets you bought. At least you’ll have more space in the cabin and can still do things.”

He came unglued from his seat, slumped over in his chair.

“Are you alright?” she asked. 

“Yea,” returning to an upright position, attempting to show he was okay. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do this. I just met him and he’s the man of my dreams.”

Perhaps, it occurred to our traveler, he too had been dreaming too much. Maybe she was just a girl in his dreams. 

“What are you going to do?” she asked, as if to console him. 

“ I… don’t know. I’ll figure it out.”

He slumped in his chair again, his chin resting on his knuckles, looking at her, wondering what to make of the situation. She cared enough to see his reaction, to make sure he was handling the news okay. But how could he recover from this news? Was he to board this boat alone? A reverse Sabrina? How insidious!

He hung up the phone. There was no more to say. So much for his plans with her. Maybe he would take this cruise from Hong Kong to Hanoi, get off there and find a lovely, local tour guide. Maybe it was time to watch that silly little Netflix movie everyone was talking about. 

He switched from the sad jazz tunes on youtube to surf Netflix and watch the movie. Instead, Netflix recommended La La Land on the landing page. Maybe that would work - a good old song and dance could pick up his heart. 

He pressed play. 

Laura: I have someone I want you to meet. You should meet her. 
Sebastian: Does she like jazz?
Laura: Probably not.
Sebastian: Then what are we gonna talk about?
Laura: I don’t know! You’re living like a hermit. You’re driving without insurance! 
Sebastian: It doesn’t matter!
Laura: Get serious!
Sebastian: Get serious? I had a very serious plan for my future… 
Laura: I know.
Sebastian: It’s not my fault I got shanghaied! 
Laura: You didn’t get shanghaied. You got ripped off! 
Sebastian: What’s the difference?
Laura: I don’t know. It’s not as “romantic” as that! Everybody knew that guy was shady except for you. 
Sebastian: Why do you say romantic like it’s a dirty word? 
Laura: Unpaid bills are not romantic. Call her- . 
Sebastian: I’m not gonna call her. And the thing is, you’re acting like life’s got me on the ropes. I want to be on the ropes. Okay? I’m letting life hit me until it gets tired. 
Laura: Oh?
Sebastian: Then I’m gonna hit back. It’s a classic rope-a-dope. 

Our traveler stood up from his seat. 

“That’s right!” He thought to himself. “I’m gonna fight back. Go on this cruise. Muck it up with the singletons on the ship, and meet a fancy tour guide in Vietnam. Stay tuned for the rest of the story, World!”