The Expat Diaries: Misfortune Cookie (Single in the City Book 2) by Michele Gorman Read Free Book Online

spiteful digging in of heels. It doesn’t take Pythagoras to work that one out.
    Thanks, so thoughtful! I text. But Sam will celebrate with me. Having lunch now so can’t text longer. x
    Turning to my lunch, I find a gelatinous mass of meat beneath the last steamer. I’ve seen more appetizing biology experiments. I definitely wouldn’t have pointed it out to the waiter and said, ‘Mmm, mmm, I’ll have some of that, please.’ Nevertheless, it must be the chicken. I take a bite.
    It’s vile. I can’t spit it out. After that durian fruit incident in Bangkok, when I heaved it up on the street in front of Sam and the woman who’d offered it to me, I don’t exactly have a reputation in Asia as a cultural ambassador. Luckily, as it’s covered in such a thick layer of fat, it slides down rather easily in one piece. Check, please.
    The waiter is much quicker with the bill than he was with my order. But there’s no fortune cookie. How is that possible when we’re in China ? I look forward to these petrified portents of the future. Not that I believe in them. Completely. It’s just that I got one in Chinatown right after I told Sam I’d move here. It said: Following your heart will pay off in the near future . I love that it endorsed my decision. It’s safely folded in my wallet, and I’d like another choice-confirming cookie.
    What I really want, of course, is Sam. I miss him so much that it actually, physically hurts. I find myself feeling short of breath, panicky when I think about him. When I think about his absence. I know he’s coming back soon, but still I miss him with a visceral gut-wrenching sense of loss. This can’t healthy, being so in love. It’s madness, just like the poets have always claimed. It does feel like madness. How is that possible? Surely we haven’t known each other long enough. How can I know he’s the one so certainly? I don’t know. I just do. I’m feeling it, not thinking it. I’ve certainly never felt this way before. He’s The One. I know it as surely as I know I’d never eat that chicken dish again.
    He picks up on the third ring. ‘Hannah, hi! How are you, darlin’?’
    My belly flips upon hearing his voice. To the wider world I’m sure he’s no Barry White, but Sam could read fungicide application instructions to me and I’d melt. ‘I’m great, so glad to talk to you! I just finished eating dim sum, and now I’m walking back to the apartment. I viewed an apartment earlier. You’re not going to believe this. They’re trying to sell the laundry room as a second bedroom! What are you doing now?’
    ‘Hah, you’ve seen the maid’s quarters then. They’re shocking, aren’t they? Pete and I saw a few of those when we were searching. It’s appalling. Definitely not suitable for you and Stacy! … I’m glad you called, Han. It’s always a nice surprise at work.’
    ‘Oh, do you have to go?’
    ‘No, that’s okay sweetheart. I can use the break.’ I can picture him as he blows out his cheeks, wiping sweat from his brow after a grueling day being an economist. ‘I planned to call you later, but tell me about your day now. Li Ming just went to get us some early dinner – it’s gonna be another late night here.’
    ‘… Oh, well I don’t want to keep you from… anything,’ says I, suddenly struck by an insidious jealousy-inspired martyrdom. ‘I’m sure Li Ming will want you, so I should let you go.’ I don’t know why, when I’m a perfectly intelligent woman, I feel so insecure when it comes to this man. Surely when you’re in love with someone you’re supposed to feel more secure, not less.
    ‘No, Han! I can talk. Tell me more about your day. There’s nothing interesting to report from here. Where are you now?’
    ‘I’m not sure. I got a little turned around when I left the restaurant. I think I’m heading towards Sheung Wan.’
    ‘Ah, I love it there. It feels like old Hong Kong. Where was the apartment you saw?’
    ‘In the Mid-levels.