Chapter Nine

GREENER PASTURES

The night before her departure, Sierra could hardly sleep, she wasn’t sure whether it was out of excitement or nervousness, but her heart was pounding in her chest and hadn’t stopped since. 

She was currently standing in the airport, having already checked in online, she didn’t need to wait in the queue since all her luggage had been shipped a week before. Her carry-on laid at her feet with her handbag perched on top she started at the departure gate seeing people hugging their loved ones goodbye, wishing them a safe trip, her parents had minutes ago ventured to buy her snacks for the plane even though she protested that she could purchase anything she wanted on the plane itself, she suspected they disappeared so she wouldn’t see them get emotional. 

“I got you a bottle of water, some healthy snacks, and some junk snacks, and look, I found one of those word search books you used to love as a kid.” Sierra smiled widely at her mom, she was overenthusiastic which Sierra knew was her trying not to cry. 

“Mom, you didn’t have to, but thank you, I am going to spend the next sixteen hours finding every word in this book.” She wrapped her arms around her mother which caught the older woman off guard. 

“I promised myself I wouldn’t cry.” She sniffed when Sierra let her go which made Sierra smile. 

“I’m going to miss you guys so much.” Sierra frowned at her parents, she would miss the sudden visits and silly excuses they would make to lure her back home just to see her, she never told them this, but she knew about their tactics and secretly enjoyed it. 

“We’re going to miss you too.” Both her parents wrapped their arms around her and she hugged them back with just as much ferocity, blinking back the tears that burned her eyes. 

“Okay, I’ve got to go, wish me luck.” She untangled herself from them when her boarding call sounded through the speakers and plucked the bag of goodies from her dad’s hand. 

“Have fun, honey! Don’t forget to call us as soon as you land and be safe!” Her mom called as she made her way to the departure area, waving frantically as she did. 

After having her carry-on searched, she made her way to the boarding gate, there were a few people in front of her waiting to get on the plane and as she looked at the door that led to the plane she sucked in a deep breath.

She was ready for an adventure.

***       

   

Changi Airport was buzzing with activity as travelers flew in and out of Singapore, June through September was the best time of year for vacationers to enjoy the pleasant tropical climate, with warm temperatures and less rain than later in the year. She could see why it was a good time to visit.

Sierra inhaled the humid air as she followed the crowd into the arrivals where one usually waited to greet a traveler, she scanned the crowd for her name and as promised, she found a man dressed in a black suit with a board that read “SIERRA BRIGHTLY” in bold letters with the company logo sitting proudly at the top. 

“I’m Sierra Brightly, you must be Ken?” The young man nodded with a bright smile. 

“Welcome to Singapore, Miss Brightly, may I take your luggage?” Ken didn’t look a day over twenty-one but spoke very good English, much to Sierra’s relief. 

“Yes, thank you, Ken.” She smiled back, handing him her carry-on, and followed behind him as he led the way to the car. 

“I had all your stuff sent to your apartment, would you like to go straight there or would you like to get something to eat first?” Ken asked with a smile as he loaded her bag into the trunk of the car. 

“I had something to eat on the plane, but I could really go for some coffee right now.” Her eyes widened in emphasis and he smirked. 

“There’s a Starbucks on the way to your apartment?” Sierra grinned at his cleverness.

“A man after my own heart, I think we are going to get along splendidly, Ken.” Ken Grinned and moved to open the back door for her, causing her to raise an eyebrow at him. 

“Is there a rule against me sitting in the passenger seat?” Ken looked surprised and opened his mouth and closed it before closing the door. 

“Not in my car there isn’t.” Ken pulled open the passenger door and Sierra climbed in, thanking him as she did. 

Ken climbed into the driver's seat and buckled up before reversing out of the parking. 

“So Ken, Mr. Pierce tells me that you will be my assistant for the duration of my stay. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but you don’t look a day over twenty-one.” Ken smirked, he was a handsome young man. 

“I take that as a compliment, but I actually turned twenty-two last week.” Sierra couldn’t help the laughter that escaped her lips at his words, “and yes, I started working for the company straight out of high school as a mail boy, working my way up.” Sierra nodded, impressed by his determination. 

“Well Ken, I think you and I will make a good team.” She grinned and he blushed. 

“Thank you Miss Brightly, you’re a very nice person.” Now it was Sierra’s turn to blush. 

“Please, call me Sierra.” Ken nodded with a smile.   

The drive to Starbucks was quick, she was impressed by the modern infrastructure the city seemed to have, roads were busy but not once did they encounter a jam-like they would in San Francisco, that was one thing she already knew she would enjoy about being there. 

Ken pulled into the drive-through and rolled down his window to greet the lady through the microphone. 

“Good morning sir, what can I get you.” The woman had a thick accent, similar to the tinge she detected in Ken’s voice. 

“I’ll have a Hazelnut Latte with extra cream and whatever you’re having,” Sierra answered before he could ask. 

“A Vanilla Latte with extra cream, please.” Ken relayed to the woman, not adding one of his own. 

“You’re not getting anything?” Sierra frowned and he shook his head. 

“Will that be all sir?” The lady asked and Sierra shook her head at him. 

“It’s on the company budget if that’s what you’re worried about.” She raised a challenging eyebrow at him which made him laugh. 

“Make those two Vanilla Lattes.” The lady acknowledged his order and asked him to come to the window. 

Sierra sipped on her drink as they drove between the tall buildings of the city to get to her apartment building when the building she’d seen in pictures came into view. 

“This street has some of the nicest apartment buildings in Singapore, you’ll be staying at The Gong which means ‘The Palace’ in Mandarin. Your apartment is on the twenty-fifth floor on the opposite side of the building, you’re going to love the view.” Sierra was growing more excited hearing his words. 

“God Bless Pharma&Co.” She looked up at the sky dramatically which make Ken laugh. 

“You don’t seem to be anything like the way they describe you.” Sierra stopped dead in her tracks when she heard Ken’s comment. 

“How do they describe me and who are they?” Ken blushed at her inquisition. 

“The people who have attended your conferences, they describe you as a controlled and calculated person. I’m sorry Miss Sierra, I didn’t mean to speak out of line.” He mistook her raised eyebrow as her disapproval, but she shook her head and cracked a smile. 

“Don’t ever apologize for being honest, Ken. Something you will grow to learn about me when it comes to my work, I am indeed a controlled and calculating person, it’s what makes me so good at what I do, but I don’t bring my work home with me.” She winked. 

“Welcome to The Gong.” The concierge greeted them and pushed open the door.

“Thank you, sir.” The man smiled and turned to speak to Ken in Mandarin. Sierra didn’t understand a word of what he said, so instead, she entered the lobby and soaked in the posh-looking area. 

“Sierra, this is Mr. Chiang, he is the concierge of this building, if you ever need anything, you can speak to him.” Ken introduced and the man shook her hand lightly. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Chiang.” Mr. Chiang nodded. 

“It’s a pleasure to have you stay with us, Miss Sierra. I hope your condo is to your liking, I have personally seen to it that it is in order for your arrival, on the entrance table you will find your key card which will allow you access to all our facilities.” Sierra nodded and Mr. Chiang motioned for them to get on the elevator. 

Everything in the building was exquisite from what Sierra could see, the atmosphere however was calm and smelt amazing. 

“Here we are, apartment 25B.” Sierra watched as Ken swiped the card in the door handle and handed it to her before pushing open the door to her new apartment. 

Unlike the general areas of the building, the apartment didn’t have the same rich decor, instead, it was more minimalistic and modern, as one out of a TV series. 

“This is beautiful.” The boxes she’d packed up laid to the right of the door in what looked to be the living room, or what would be when she moved it all out of there.

She fell in love with the open planned space, it was a single bedroom apartment, but much larger than she’d anticipated. The large sliding doors that were covered by the curtains were sure to hold the beautiful view that Ken spoke about and the kitchen which laid along the expansive glass instantly claimed her heart. She wasn’t much of a cook, that was always something her mother enjoyed more, while she took after her father who opted to eat rather than do the hard work.    

   

“You’re not going to see the view?” Ken asked when she turned to the bedroom instead of pulling back the curtains. 

“If I do that, I’ll stay there all day and never get to see the bedroom at all.” She laughed and walked in the doorway to the right.

“The bedroom was spacious with a walk-in closet and an en-suite bathroom, she could already see herself enjoying long bubble baths in the huge tub, but she didn’t let herself dwell on it, knowing it’s exactly what she would do when Ken left, so she moved to kick him out as soon as possible. 

“It’s perfect, more than I could ever ask for, I might never leave.” Sierra joked, while she liked her apartment in San Francisco, it didn’t have the same charm that this one did. 

“Do you need any help unpacking?” Sierra looked at the five boxes in the living room and shook her head. 

“No, I’ll manage. Why don’t you take the rest of the afternoon off, Ken? I’ll just hang out here.” Ken looked skeptical leaving her alone but nodded. 

“Are you sure? I could run some errands for you if you’d like?” Sierra smiled at his nervousness. 

“No, it’s fine, it’ll be between you and me. Just leave your phone number and the number of a good restaurant for me to try and I’ll be just fine.” Ken picked up a folder from the side table where he stood and handed it to her. 

“In here are all the emergency numbers you might need, including mine and the menus of all the great food places around the city, numbers, and addresses for dry cleaners, cafes, and supermarkets you might make use of. I also threw in the directions to my favorite ice-cream parlor, it’s just down the road if you ever want to check it out.” Sierra paged through the folder, seeing all the places he mentioned were indeed in there, “If you’re looking for a place not in there, just call me.” Sierra nodded, impressed. 

“This is pretty impressive, Ken. I’ll be sure to try every one of these out before I leave here. Thank you.” 

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning then?” Sierra nodded.

“Is there anything I need to do tomorrow?” Ken shook his head. 

“Not particularly, but I thought you’d like to see a little bit of the city and where you’ll be working?” Sierra smiled. 

“I would like that, but not too early, is 9 am okay?” Ken affirmed before seeing himself out, leaving Sierra to her own devices.