"I need a vacation." That’s exactly what Alisandra thought as she looked at the same old pile of invoices she had to process. Why did she take this stupid job anyway? Her boss is a creep who would watch the clock and if she was even a minute late he would dock her pay and always expected her to be the one to pick up everybody else’s slack. It wasn't like she was the only one in the office. Just because she wasn’t pretty or thin like the other women she worked with did not mean she should have been treated different but that was the way it was. They never included her in their lunch outings but asked her to watch the switchboard and answer the phones. Oh but then there were the days they wanted take-out and instead of asking if she wanted anything they would hand her the order and tell her to go pick it up. Alisandra had had enough. At five o'clock she punched out her time card and headed home in the rush hour traffic determined to find somewhere, anywhere to take that vacation too.
Having fought her way through traffic at the rush hour, a trip that on a good day that usually took twenty minutes, Alisandra walked through the front door of her house an hour later and sighed. It was the best she could do given the area she lived it but it was home none the less and all hers. She had lived alone for the past 5 years ever since her boyfriend Evan had walked out on her for that skinny waitress at the diner. God how she wished she could hate him for what he had done but a part of her missed him from time to time. Maybe not miss his so much but missed having anyone.

Putting her stuff down she turns on her old computer and prays that this time it will work. Stupid computers, she swore that there was a god or something out there that had it in for her cause every time she would try to do something the thing would crash. She didn’t know too much about the things except how to turn it on and poke around the internet and stuff. So while waiting for the dinosaur to boot she went to find something to eat.

In the kitchen opening the fridge there really wasn’t much to choose from. Living alone she never really thought much about cooking and eating and you would have thought that she could have shed a few if not more of those extra pounds that way, but again it was if she was someone’s big cosmic joke. Deciding on a bowl of ice cream, knowing she should make a salad or something she dished it out and went to sit in front of the computer.

Where to go, that was the question. She had always wanted to travel so she began to make a list of places she had always wanted to visit….Hawaii, Australia, California, Ireland, Scotland, the Bahamas. Yeah it was a real random list but this trip was going to be her first and she wanted it to be special. Checking her bank account and looking at her meager savings Alisandra decided to go for broke. Tired of living on the safe side she was going to go where ever she wanted and screw the money. She could always save up more.

The computer finally booted up she started to browse the web sites. Searching for the perfect place, finally she came across a site for a castle in the Highlands of Scotland. They offered a package where you could stay in one of their rooms and they offered tours of the area for one low price. It even included some of her meals. Scotland had always been on her list of places to go. She loved to read romance novels and if they were set in Scotland she was always hooked. She began to enter her information to reserve her trip and got to the button that said Submit. She hesitated, knowing this trip was going to cost her every last dime she had and that she still needed to get her creep boss to give her the two weeks off to take it she didn’t know what to do. Do I go or not she thought. “The hell with it, you only live once” she said to herself and clicked on the button. Her trip was booked.

Now she needed to go shopping cause if she was going to do this she was going to do it right and wanted new clothes to wear. Shopping always sucked, never being able to find anything that fit right or was affordable but she was going to do this. Maybe tomorrow night after work, after she told the creep she was taking some of that vacation time she had coming to her.
Waking up to a new day Alisandra wakes up with a smile thinking about her vacation to come. Heading out the door to her beat up old ford she gets in turns the key and nothing. It would not start. Grumbling she tries again and again until it finally comes to life.

One the expressway to work there are no less than three accidents slowing traffic to a crawl. “Can’t people learn to drive” she says out loud. Turning on the radio she tunes in her favorite country station and at least that helps her to pass the time as she sings along. Of course it’s turned up so loud and her singing draws the attention of the other drivers on the road that started to look at her as if she has lost her mind. Ignoring them she just keeps on moving as fast as she can glancing at the clock and just knowing she is going to be late for work.

Five minutes late she rushes in and hopes nobody would notice but of course the other girls she works with are right there at her cubicle waiting for her. They greet her loudly making sure their voices carry to the boss’s office.

“Alisandra we were looking for you is everything ok” Cassie says sweetly to her, Cassie being the thin blonde that can eat anything and everything and not gain an ounce.

Putting her stuff away and turning on her computer Alisandra turns to her “traffic was bad, there were accidents everywhere”, hoping Cassie will just leave her alone she picks up her stack of invoices and beings to enter them.

“Alisandra I have so much to do today and Bert said you would do these for me” she drops another huge stack on the desk and walks away.

“Oh this is just great” Alisandra grumbles to no one in particular. Not like she barely had enough hours in the day to get here own work done now she was volunteered to do Cassie’s too. It’s not like Cassie had a big workload to begin with being one of Bert’s favorites and all. But what was she to do, adding the new stack to her own she gets to work not even having time for coffee.

Later that day to her amazement Alisandra had just about finished all her work plus much of Cassie’s she glances at the clock and realizes it’s now or never. She gets up to head over to Bert’s office.

Knocking on his open door, “Can I speak with you for a minute?” Bert motions her in and she sits down. “I wanted to speak with you myself Alisandra. You were late again today and you know our policy on lateness. I can’t keep allowing this to continue, and you need to figure out a way to get in the office when you’re supposed to be here.”

“I was only five minutes late Bert. It’s not like I am the only person here, Shannon didn’t get in until half past and she does that all the time and I do get all my work done and all”

“We are not talking about Shannon or anyone else. We are talking about you.”

Sitting up straighter, “Well then maybe we should talk about me for a minute, I am tired of the way I get treated around her. I am not the only person in this office yet it seems like I end up doing all the work. And don’t think I don’t know what you and the others say about me behind my back. Sound travels in here you know. I have feelings to and it’s just not right.”

“Alisandra I have no idea what you are talking about. But you need to be in the office on time for now on. If you are late again I am going to have to write you up for it.”

Getting angry she stands “Write me up, Write me up, you have got to be kidding me. You think this place would be the office it is without me. I end up doing all the work while you and the other girls play around all day long.”

“Sit down, Alisandra”

“No I’m not going to sit down. I will tell you what I am going to do. I QUIT” Alisandra storms out of Bert’s office past Cassie and Sandra and all the others going to her desk to gather her things and leave one last time. Looking at her computer she gets a thought and before shutting it down deletes every file on it. “There let them think what they can do without me”

Here things in hand she leaves the office one last time without looking back and heads towards home to change then go on that shopping trip she promised herself.

Having gone home and changed Alisandra pulls into the parking lot of the mall. One of her favorite places to be..not. Fighting the cars in the parking lot she finds the last available space all the way at the end, farthest from the entrance. She realizes that this is probably a sign or something but grabs her purse and heads in anyway.

Window shopping from store to store she sees miles and miles of clothes made for the skinny women of the planet. All of them cute and wishing she could find something like that to buy but being the woman she was she knew it was never going to happen. When were designers going to realize that real women are not a size twelve? Her money was just green as the next one and she wanted to buy something pretty but she always had to look hard and long for it

Walking the halls the smell of the cinnamon bun place catches her attention. She wonders over there and contemplates getting one. Knowing she is going on vacation and she doesn’t really need the calories she thinks “What the hell” and gets one anyway with extra topping for it. Going over to a bench to sit and enjoy her treasure she spotted both Cassie and Sandra from work coming out of a store with loads of bags.

“I can’t believe that cow actually quit today” Alisandra overhears Cassie say to Sandra.

“I know. I was a shocked as you. Who do you think is going to do all our work now for us?”

Cassie laughs, “Don’t worry she will be back tomorrow just begging for her job back you watch and then things will be back to normal. Bert will take her back cause he don’t want to look bad to the general manager when productivity goes down”

Getting more and more angry by the minute Alisandra approaches them. “You bitches, you think I’m coming back, well guess again.” Looking at their smirking faces Alisandra looses it and smears the rest of her treat right into Cassie’s smug face and walks away her head held high to look for those clothes she came for.

Coming to the one store she can usually count on to have something half decent in her size, she enters and starts browsing the racks, picking up things here and there. Usually she would just buy the stuff and try it on at home and return it if it did not fit but she didn’t have that luxury tonight because her plane was leaving tomorrow. Finding the sales clerk she gets into one of the dreaded dressing rooms to try on her selections.

She always hated dressing rooms. She understood the need for the mirror but did not like what she saw in them. They were always too honest. Maybe they could make a dressing room without mirrors? She didn’t need to see it to know if something fit. Or maybe make them so they didn’t reflect until you were dressed again. But what was she to do. Beginning to try on clothes the first pair of jeans was too small in the waist and the second was too long. Getting frustrated she tried on the last pair and was surprised they were just right. And even she thought she looked good in them. Taking them off and looking at the tag she realized why and groaned. At that price they would look good on anything. But this was going to be her one vacation and she wanted to look good and feel good in her clothes so gathering up her selections and picking up another pair of the jeans that fit along with some tops she headed to the register to check out. All told the bill was going to put a dent on things, and not having a job anymore didn’t help but she was getting the stuff anyway. Paying for everything she headed out the door and made her way back to her car to head home and pack for tomorrow.

Having gone home and changed Alisandra pulls into the parking lot of the mall. It was not one of her favorite places to be. Fighting the cars in the parking lot she finds the last available space all the way at the end, farthest from the entrance. She realizes that this is probably a sign or something but grabs her purse and heads in anyway.

Window shopping from store to store she sees miles and miles of clothes made for the skinny women of the planet. All of them cute and wishing she could find something like that to buy but being the woman she was she knew it was never going to happen. When were designers going to realize that real women are not a size twelve? Her money was just green as the next one and she wanted to buy something pretty but she always had to look hard and long for it

Walking the halls the smell of the cinnamon bun place catches her attention. She wonders over there and contemplates getting one. Knowing she is going on vacation and she doesn’t really need the calories she thinks “What the hell” and gets one anyway with extra topping for it. Going over to a bench to sit and enjoy her treasure she spotted both Cassie and Sandra from work coming out of a store with loads of bags.

“I can’t believe that cow actually quit today” Alisandra overhears Cassie say to Sandra.

“I know I was a shocked as you. Who do you think is going to do all our work now for us?”

Cassie laughs, “Don’t worry she will be back tomorrow just begging for her job back you watch and then things will be back to normal. Bert will take her back cause he don’t want to look bad to the general manager when productivity goes down”

Getting more and more angry by the minute Alisandra approaches them. “You bitches, you think I’m coming back, well guess again.” Looking at their smirking faces Alisandra looses it and smears the rest of her treat right into Cassie’s smug face and walks away her head held high to look for those clothes she came for.

Coming to the one store she can usually count on to have something half decent in her size, she enters and starts browsing the racks, picking up things here and there. Usually she would just buy the stuff and try it on at home and return it if it did not fit but she didn’t have that luxury tonight because her plane was leaving tomorrow. Finding the sales clerk she gets into one of the dreaded dressing rooms to try on her selections.

She always hated dressing rooms. She understood the need for the mirror but did not like what she saw in them. They were always too honest. Maybe they maybe make a dressing room without mirrors? She didn’t need to see it to know if something fit. Or maybe make them so they didn’t reflect until you were dressed again. But what was she to do. Beginning to try on clothes the first pair of jeans was too small in the waist and the second was too long. Getting frustrated she tried on the last pair and was surprised they were just right. And even she thought she looked good in them. Taking them off and looking at the tag she realized why and groaned. At that price they would look good on anything. But this was going to be her one vacation and she wanted to look good and feel good in her clothes so gathering up her selections and picking up another pair of the jeans that fit along with some tops she headed to the register to check out. All told the bill was going to put a dent on things, and not having a job anymore didn’t help but she was getting the stuff anyway. Paying for everything she headed out the door and made her way back to her car to head home and pack for tomorrow.

Slowly waking the first thing she smelled was the dampness. It invaded her every sense. It was rank and foul smelling of old things better left unrecognized. She felt cold hard stone beneath her battered body. Waking more she could hear the cries and sobs of others, cries of desperation. Opening her eyes she moves to sit up, something scratches against her skin. Gone were her new jeans and comfy shirt to be replaced with a simple burlap sack dress, this was getting scarier and scarier by the minute. Where was she?

Finally sitting up she looks around recognizing some of the other women from the plane. Each one dressed the same as her. They were all locked in what appeared to be a stone cell.

“Where are we?” Alisandra asked to no one in particular.

“Hell,” was the one only response she got.

Her back now against the wall she sits and she waits not knowing where she is or how she got here, but vowing to find a way out of it regardless.

Slowly waking the first thing she smelled was the dampness. It invaded her every sense. It was rank and foul smelling of old things better left unrecognized. She felt cold hard stone beneath her battered body. Waking more she could hear the cries and sobs of others, cries of desperation. Opening her eyes she moves to sit up, something scratches against her skin. Gone were her new jeans and comfy shirt to be replaced with a simple burlap sack dress, this was getting scarier and scarier by the minute. Where was she?

Finally sitting up she looks around recognizing some of the other women from the plane. Each one dressed the same as her. They were all locked in what appeared to be a stone cell.

“Where are we?” Alisandra asked to no one in particular.

“Hell,” was the one only response she got.

Her back now against the wall she sits and she waits not knowing where she is or how she got here, but vowing to find a way out of it regardless.

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