Decadent Living

Or "How I made $1,650 disappear, but didn't really".

I just returned from a trip to Thai Airways, where I cancelled my ticket for my New York birthday break.

"Are you sure you want to return this unused? Do you want to reroute it? Go somewhere else?"

"Nah. The trip's been cancelled. I'll make other plans for my birthday."

"You really sure about this? There's a USD100 charge for refund."

"Yup. USD100 against the USD1,000 I'll potentially spend there? Not that bad, I guess."

She smiles. "Good point. Hang on while I do the paperwork."

The nice lady gets the required documents.

"So how long does it take for a refund?"

"2 to 3..."

In my mind, I saw a flash of '2 to 3 weeks' which was pretty usual.

"... months", she finished.

I gulped. "Months? That's quite a while."

"Yes." she frowns. "Accounting this and that." Nice lady manages an apologetic smile.

And there you have it, my moolah tucked away for who knows how long. I get nervous at this point in time. Not because I'm feeling broke or whatnot. But what if it doesn't come through? Would I end up at the same counter pushing for my claim? How long before it becomes too long?

"Can I get your card or something?"

She settles my fears by promising she'll expedite the process and that all the details are on the receipt.

After handing the papers over, she smiles again. "So what will you do for your birthday?"

"I don't know. Grow older?"

She laughs. "Happy birthday in advance."

"Thanks." I smile.

Moral of the story: When you've just been punched in the guts, suddenly, everything else is kinder and brighter.

And thank you Tim, for the txt msg. :)