Chapter 2 - The Sound of the Engine Room
At 8:01 the next morning, I called the travel agency.
My hands weren't shaking anymore. My heart wasn't racing.
A cold, absolute calm had settled over me.
A cheerful woman named Brenda answered the phone.
I gave her the booking number.
“Oh, wow! This looks like a wonderful family vacation, Miss Miller,” she said.
I almost laughed.
“It was supposed to be,” I replied. “But plans have changed. I need to make some adjustments to the itinerary.”
First, I canceled every premium dining package.
Then the top-tier drink packages.
Then the unlimited Wi-Fi.
Then every single excursion I had meticulously planned for them.
The snorkeling in Nassau.
The ziplining in Jamaica.
The private beach access in Cozumel.
Gone.
Canceled.
Refunded.
Thousands of dollars sent straight back to my bank account.
Then I asked about the cabins.
Brenda paused, her keyboard clicking stopping. “What would you like changed about the accommodations?”
“The rooms under Richard Miller, Susan Miller, Vanessa Miller, Brandon Smith, and the others?”
“Yes, I see them here. Three beautiful connecting balcony suites.”
“Move them.”
“Move them to where, ma'am?”
“Move them to the cheapest cabins available on the ship.”
Another long pause.
Brenda cleared her throat. “The... interior cabins?”
“Yes.”
“The ones on the lowest deck?”
“Yes.”
“The ones without windows?”
“Yes.”
“The ones near the engine room where it tends to get a bit noisy?”
“Those sound absolutely perfect.”
I could hear Brenda doing the math in her head. She didn't ask questions. She was a professional.
“Done. And your accommodation, Miss Miller? The penthouse suite?”
I looked out at the sunrise beyond my condo window.
The sky was painted in brilliant strokes of pink and gold. It looked like a new beginning.
“Leave mine exactly as it is.”
For the first time since Mom’s cruel message, I smiled. A real, genuine smile.
“I’ll be going after all.”
The refund for downgrading their rooms hit my account within forty-eight hours.
I didn't say a word to any of them. I didn't text Mom back. I didn't confront Vanessa about her fake Facebook post.
I simply packed my bags.
May you like
I packed my most expensive dresses, my favorite swimsuits, and the silver seashell earrings I had bought for my mother.
I decided I would wear them myself.
