Broken Inside

37 - The Big Surprise

Moving back to the city was the best decision that Alex has ever made. The studio apartment Ethan secured for her in Greenwich Village was small, but it was cozy and had everything that she needed. 

Compared to the suburbs, the life in the city never sleeps. There were many different characters too. Alex loved people watching from the comfort of her apartment, and sometimes from the fire escape. 

She gets to see more of Neesha, but not at her home. Alex didn't want to run into Zack there. So Neesha would come uptown and they would take Devan shopping or to the zoo. 

Her lunch dates with Ethan was more frequent too. Sometimes, when Ian was in the right mood, he and Ethan would throw dinner parties and invited Alex to come. She made a few friends there.

Overall, Alex was happy with her new life, free from drama and men. Other than Ethan of course. He's the exception.

*****

Christmas came and New York was blanketed with snow. Alex was excited for the B&G Annual Christmas Party. 

As usual, Ethan came solo. Ian didn't want to come. So Alex spent the party with Ethan. 

Ethan was dressed in a checkered red suit, with matching tie. Alex thought he looked like a well-dressed lumberjack. 

Alex went with a fur-lined slim-cut red dress. She wore a Santa's hat. 

She had so much fun with Ethan and the rest of the party goers. They chatted, danced, exchanged presents and there were even an open mic. They were currently being entertained by a very bad rendition of All I Want for Christmas from the guy in Finance.

As per the tradition every year, Mr Greene would make his appearance in a full Santa suit. He was going around the room, greeting everyone cheerfully. He finally came to Alex and Ethan's table.

"Ethan, how are you doing this evening?" he asked.

"Good, sir! I'm always in good spirit after a few rounds of champagne with strawberries," Ethan replied, raising his flute up.

"Fantastic!" Mr Greene said and turned to Alex. "How about you, Ms Smith?"

"Can't complain," Alex said to him smilingly, "Great party as always, sir."

"Wonderful! And may I say, you look absolutely beautiful in that dress," he said. Then he added, "Say, may I have a word with you?"

Alex was surprised but quickly said, "Of course." She looked at Ethan and he immediately raised from his chair.

"Here, Mr Greene, you can have my seat. I'm gonna run to the bathroom," Ethan smiled at them both and left.

Alex turned her attention back to Mr Greene. "What can I do for you, sir?"

"Ms Smith, do you remember Lord Baker?"

"Yes, sir. I met him at the last mid-year party," Alex replied.

"Well, you must have left quite an impression," Mr Greene said. Then he smiled widely and announced, "He has offered you a one year assignment in B&G's London Office. Congratulations!"

Alex was stunned. What?

"Well, I will leave the details with Ethan. You can come to the office on Monday and he will tell you everything you need to know," Mr Greene said, and he got up to continue mingling.

Alex was speechless. She couldn't believe her ears. London? For a year?

Ethan returned to his seat with a plate of chocolates. He was already munching on one. "So, what did Mr Greene said?" he asked, pushing the plate towards Alex. Then he noticed Alex's expression. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Alex told him what Mr Greene told her. Ethan's jaw dropped to the floor.

"OMG, seriously? You're gonna live in London?" Ethan was shaking with excitement. "That's so great! You should be jumping up and down right now!"

Alex felt overwhelmed. She started to fan herself with her hand. "It's hot in here," she whispered hoarsely.

Ethan rolled his eyes. "Why are you acting like this?"

Alex gaped at him and said, "Because it's London. Ethan, I don't even have a passport!"

Ethan snorted. "So we will get you one! Not a problem," he said easily. Then he leaped off his chair and declared, "We must celebrate! I'm getting us some more champagne."

Alex watched him strolled away with disbelieve. She took a chocolate from the plate and ate the whole thing. She was still worried. What am I gonna do?

*****

So on Monday morning, Alex came into the B&G office and met Ethan. Ethan was all business, like the first time Alex met him.

"Here," he said, walking around his desk and handed Alex a stack of papers. "This is the information on your assignment. They have listed down the learning opportunities and hey, you're even getting a desk!" He perched on the edge of his desk and smiled at her.

Alex flipped through the papers and frowned. "Why would I be needing a desk?"

"Because this assignment is different than usual. They are not only offering modelling opportunities, they will be exposing you to multiple areas of the business as well. In fact," Ethan paused and flipped a few pages for Alex. He pointed at the bottom of the page. "As you can see here, they even offer opportunity for an extension, depending on your performance and contributions."

"This is normal?" Alex asked him.

"No, this is new," Ethan said. "I talked to the HR lady at the London office. Loved the way they talk over there! Anyway, she told me this guideline was just recently approved and implemented. You're the first person to get this opportunity. Depending on how it goes, they may offer it to more people."

Alex was feeling overwhelmed again. She started to fan herself.

Ethan rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on! You have picked everything up and moved around so much, you're practically a nomad!" He looked her in the eyes and said persuasively, "You can do this!"

Alex exhaled and repeated, "I can do this."

"Yes!" Ethan exclaimed enthusiastically. "Now, first thing you need to do is go see Sheila. She will help you set an appointment to get your passport."

"Okay," Alex agreed and got up.

"Come back later at 1pm. Then we can go to lunch."

Alex looked at him and chuckled. "Okay."

So she went to see Sheila. Sheila was 8 months pregnant. Sheila helped her to set the appointment at the Passport Agency. "Okay, done. So you just need to go down to Houston Street on Thursday."

"Great, thanks Sheila," Alex said to her gratefully. Then she added, "Hey, when is the baby coming?"

"Very soon," Sheila said, rubbing her belly. "But not soon enough. I can't wait to go out again! Speaking of which," she took an invite from her desk and gave it to Alex. "There's an art gallery opening Friday night. Obviously I can't go, so you should go. Drink lots of wine for me."

Alex thanked her and went back to Ethan's office.