Romantic getaway? I don't think so

And so it begins

Michelle was sitting on her bed on the night before departure. She had a vacant expression. An empty suitcase was open on the floor, and she needed to pack a 7 days worth of clothes. She already had everything planned out in her head when Dominic told her that she'll have to travel. She knew what type of clothes she wanted to take with her. 

These were mostly white shirts and black jeans and beige pants. She hated that pattern of dressing up, but her habits got the best of her once again. Somewhere in between a white long sleeved and a black short sleeved shirt, she crammed in a navy blue blazer. She disliked that color, but the blazer fit well around her slender figure and it worked well with the shirts.  

She looked at all the clothes folded in front of her and she burst into tears. The clothes that she picked two days ago no longer appealed to her. She felt lost in them, and almost as if she was wearing her late grandmother's clothes, even though they looked good on her. But what brought on such a sudden change of heart? 

She didn't even have to think twice. It was obvious. If she went to Prague on her own, she wouldn't have been so disturbed. She wouldn't have given so much consideration into what she was wearing, because all her clothes were pretty much the same. They were all suited for business. However, she wasn't going there alone.  

"Why are you always wearing such bland, lifeless colors?" Mike asked her while they were dating.

"I beg your pardon!?"

"I'm wondering why you never wear anything that speaks about your personality."

"Mike, honey, there's no such thing as youthful or playful business clothes."

"Yes there is, I've seen them plenty of times."

"Ok, let's say I believe you. What kind of colors would you like me to wear?"

"The colors that show the beauty and the passion within you. All shades of red and purple, and perhaps yellow or magenta."

She hated to admit that he was right, so she never responded to that. Her phone rang and her heart skipped a beat when she saw the caller ID, but then she collected herself. 

"What do you want?" 

"To tell you that I'll pick you up at 5 a.m, sharp. I want to avoid the traffic and our plane leaves at 7.30." 

"Isn't that too early?" 

"It's not. Have your phone charged and turned on, I don't want the whole neighborhood up on their feet so I won't honk." 

"Fine. Anything else?" She said with a haughty tone. It took Mike a few seconds to answer.

"Yes. I just wanted you to know that I'm not a fan of this either. Dominic made me do it and he has his reasons. I haven't done or said anything that might inspire him. I hope we're clear on that." 

"We're clear." 

"Good. I'll see you soon. Good night." 

Even though he spoke to her with as much annoyance as she did, the last two sentences sounded very benevolent and almost intimate. She smiled as she connected her phone to the charger. She nearly forgot about it. She packed the suitcase and put it near the door. Then she sighed and walked into the living room, where her father was reading newspapers. 

She stood at the door and looked at him in silence. He was a cruel man. He always was and he will probably always be. There is no help with that. She detested him, and she hated herself for feeling it. A child should always love their parents, no matter what. Right? Well, it wasn't working either way. 

"Father." 

"What is it?" 

That's wonderful. He didn't even lift his head from the newspapers. Like what she wanted to say didn't matter at all.