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Rebecca
“Men are fucking assholes,” I shouted as I entered my apartment.
I slammed the door shut and threw my keys on the counter. My roommate, Lindsay— completely unphased—continued to lay in a savasana pose with her face covered in avocado paste. Thin cucumber slices sat on top of her eyes.
She removed one of the slices and squinted at me. “What did your bosshole, ex-boyfriend do this time?”
“He humiliated me on the conference call to San Francisco,” I said, pacing in front of her. “He made me sound incompetent to our new clients. I don’t know how long I can take this, Lin.”
My ex and I broke up eight months ago, but when our accounting firms merged last quarter, we ended up in the same office.
“Becca, you’ve got to let it go,” Lindsay said, taking off the other cucumber.
“I’d been trying to get the supervisor promotion for over a year, and he swooped in and stole it—right from under me.” I sank into the sofa. “Now the cheating bastard is my boss, Lin. How would you feel?”
“I’d be pissed too, Becca.” She stood up and sat next to me on the couch. “Your big bosses will see right through his sorry ass soon enough. Karma will get him. Just be patient.”
Yeah right. Patience wasn’t one of my virtues. Assertive, caring, and honest? Hell yeah. But patience? Definitely not.
The timer on her phone rang out, and she hopped off the sofa.
“Feel like Antonios?” I asked. It was Thursday, and the Italian place around the corner had half-priced pizza night. My mouth watered at the thought of a warm gooey, pepperoni, feta, and banana pepper pizza. It was my ultimate comfort food.
“Can’t. Got a date.”
Well, that explained the face cream ritual. Fine. Go have a life. I grabbed my phone and ordered delivery.
As I waited for my pizza to arrive, I stared out the window, thoughts swirling in my mind. Lindsay was right; I needed to let go of my anger toward my ex. But let's be real, it was like trying to untangle a dollar store slinky. I was a mess attempting to navigate this new situation without falling flat on my face.
The pounding on the front door jolted me from my thoughts. Damn, dude, you’re delivering food not a search warrant. The smell of hot pizza wafted through the air like a siren's call, promising temporary relief from my troubles.
I barely waited for the door to slam behind me before digging into it. I devoured each mouthful, savoring the taste of melted cheese and tangy sauce on my tongue. Each bite was a small victory against my inner demons. Even if it was just another Band-Aid over a festering wound.
“What do you think?” Lindsay asked as she strolled out of the bathroom—hair done, and winged liner perfectly positioned. She twirled in her sexy, skin-tight blue dress.
“That color makes your eyes pop. You're gonna knock him dead.”
“Thanks.” She laughed. “You ready for our trip? Candice has been blowing up our group chat about the wilderness retreat. It's going to be epic.”
“Ah, yes, three days without Excel sheets and passive-aggressive emails.” My heart fluttered at the thought—an escape into nature with nothing but the rustle of trees and the whisper of a cool breeze.
“Exactly. No Wi-Fi, no work calls, just us and Mother Nature. Candice already sent me her packing list. It's intense—she's got everything from bear spray to a solar-powered phone charger.” Lindsay leaned against the doorframe, arms folded, grinning like she had all the secrets of the universe tucked in her back pocket.
“Only Candice would remember to charge her phone during an 'unplugged' retreat,” I said, arching an eyebrow. I might not know much about camping, but the idea of stepping away from the usual grind, if only for a weekend, felt like a gulp of fresh air. Honestly, being angry and frustrated at work all week was starting to wear me down.
“She has way more experience than we do at this camping stuff,” she said.
True, I went camping as a kid, but I didn’t remember enjoying it. It took some serious convincing from our friend to get me to agree. This time it would be in a cabin so at least that was more civilized. Maybe amid the towering pines and starlit skies, I'd figure out what I really wanted out of life.
Lindsay scooped her clutch off the counter before leaving. “Don’t wait up.” She winked before shutting the door behind her.
The next morning, I ran down the checklist of my packed essentials. Sunscreen, bug spray, clothes for layering, boots, and books. Check, check, and check. I loved lists. A sense of satisfaction flowed through my body whenever I checked things off of lists.
Lindsay’s phone echoed in the living room. Her voice answering the call melted into the background of my music. A few minutes later, she knocked at my door.
“Hey, I’m just double checking my bag, then I’ll be ready t—” Her expression stole the words right out of my mouth.
