2. Amie
two
Amie
“ Y ep. Yeah, I know. I gotta go.” I sigh, pausing to hear the response on the other end of the line. “I love you. Kiss Maisy for me.”
I stuff my phone into my bag and juggle a fist full of paperwork, along with a heavy stack of wheeled luggage as I hurry down a long corridor, heels clacking on the hard, tiled floor. Of course the briefing room they’ve sent me to is the one furthest from the desk. And of course they called me exactly as the briefing started, meaning I have to hustle to make it. My standby shift lasted three whole minutes before I got a call to send me to Santiago.
It’s not that I don’t love Santiago. It’s my favourite city in the world, and four years ago, it was my top bid every single month. I lived for the mountain views and the cute little Mexican restaurant opposite the hotel. I loved the food, the culture, the language. I willingly spent all of my time in Latin America, from Chile to Colombia, Peru to Ecuador—as a polyglot who spent a year living in Madrid, Hispanic culture has always been close to my heart.
But things are different now. Everything is different now.
My life revolves not just around me, but around my little girl, the tiny whirlwind who bulldozed her way into my life three years ago and who dominates my every thought, my every heartbeat. A flight from London to Santiago is long, and because of that, the layover is long, too. And a long flight and long layover means more time away from my daughter. It means more reliance on my family and friends to take care of her—to do the job that’s mine. Right now, she’s with my mum, fast asleep after a bedtime story and a few tears. I read the story from my tablet in my car before reporting to the airport, and I shed a few tears of my own after I hung up. I miss her already.
I love meeting people and being a part of their journey. I love making their trip special—even if they’re not travelling for the happiest of reasons. I love that I get to do all of that and see the world, too. I love my job. But being away from Maisy is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
This is going to be a long five days.