Page 102 of Only One Tour Bus

I don’t know why I let a wee, whimsical force of a woman worm her way into my heart. I know who I am. I know what I need to have a satisfactory life. And reaching for things that will never work isn’t the way for a satisfactory life.

She’d have learned that eventually. She would get mad when I didn’t get excited enough over a surprise she planned for me or I’d forget some holiday she and only she celebrates like Glitter Day or some nonsense. Then she’ll realize it’s not fun to be stuck with someone who can’t enjoy the world the way she does.

Who can’t even see the world the way that she does.

I won’t see her face filled with sadness. It was filled with confusion and a little bit of sadness already. It would only be worse if I broke her cheerful spirit in a million different ways over the next year, and then she stayed with me out of a misguided belief that everyone is good. Good like she is.

But I won’t do this job anymore. I’m done dealing with other people’s crap. And if I have to give up Asha, who I love, for her greater good, I’m not going to keep a job that I dislike half the time.

A job at a company that doesn’t appreciate the clearly superior tour leader, Asha.

I turn and change directions, almost mowing over a group of tourists on another walking tour.

Jaysus, Mary, and Joseph, I can’t escape them.

I walk past Vihana, giving her a grunt when she says a surprised hello to me. Sorry, Vihana. I have things to discuss and I don’t want to be here a second longer than I have to be.

“Rob.” I enter his office without knocking, not too concerned with how he’ll receive me. “I quit,” I say before he can greet me.

“What? I chose you.”

I shrug. “That was a poor decision. The hazards of running a business.”

I’m sort of enjoying his confusion and the beginnings of panic creeping over his face. A perfect example of how people are petty, in my own actions.

Even though I think that even Asha would stoop to enjoying pain in this one scenario, too.

“I have tours going out in a few days that you need to run.”

I back out of the office as he comes around his desk. “That’s a shame for the tourists, because I won’t be doing them.” I turn and ignore whatever begging Rob is trying.

It’s quite a change from his tone when he was harassing both of us, lording the job over Asha and me and watching us squirm. And I know he enjoyed having the power, pathetic wee tyrant that he is.

I walk outside of the building and turn my face up to the sky. The weather’s turned and it’s sunny.

Now the sky is mocking me, reminding me of Asha when I would rather think about other things in my life.

Like what job I’m going to get before my landlord kicks me out for nonpayment of rent.

CHAPTER 45

ASHA

“It happened, Mom. Rob fired me.” I hear the shakiness of my voice and try to breathe through it, because Mom will hear and make a big deal about it. And feel worse that she’s too far to help me.

This isn’t a call that I wanted to make. I never wanted to disappoint the person who has been my biggest cheerleader since I was born. How am I supposed to tell her that her confidence in me is entirely misplaced and she should really get a dog, which has a far smaller chance of disappointing her?

“Well, that man’s an idiot.”

I let the comforting words wash over me, even though I don’t deserve them. But at the same time, it’s even worse that she still has so much faith in me. Where did this come from? I’m not the doctor/lawyer/engineer I bet she imagined when she was picturing her future family. The perfect child a parent can brag about at temple.

I’m pretty sure Mom lies about what I do. And not even because she’s ashamed, because she’s incapable of feeling ashamed of me, but because she’s tired of explaining what my job is when “professional traveler/babysitter/history guide,” sounds kind of made up.

“I don’t know. What if he’s right?”

“No. That’s not it.” The response is immediate. No awkward pause or needing time to think of a lie, or to prepare to give it. “Come home; we’ll take care of you. I’ll even make kheer. And I won’t skimp on the sugar.”

I laugh through my misery, a few tears slipping out while my guard is down. Because Mom is notorious about trying to make the dessert healthy. I must sound terrible if she’s trying to comfort me with the unhealthy, much better tasting version.