Without Borders Read Online Free PDF Page A

is.”
    Marisol sat on the bed and tucked her legs under her body. “Oh, I forgot about your anal problem.” She laughed, and a dimple appeared in her left cheek. Even though Annie had seen that pixie grin hundreds of times, this was the first time she saw Felipe’s smile reflected back at her.
    “Mari,” Annie begged, “please, please do not tell anyone I have an anal problem.”
    “But they will see, no? It is not so easy to hide these things when you are on a trip like this.”
    With a steadying breath, Annie explained the difference between an “anal problem” and being a teensy bit anal retentive. Marisol stared at her for a beat, then collapsed into a fit of giggles.
    “Is everything okay?” Melinda appeared in the doorway, a bemused smile on her lips.
    Annie nodded. “Marisol is helping me pack.”
    “Good.” Melinda glanced at Annie’s bags. “You’ll have to cut your things by at least half. But I’m sure the two of you will figure it out.”
    By half? Any lingering amusement shriveled inside her as Annie contemplated an entire month with less than half of her belongings. “Okay,” she told Melinda, her voice stilted and cracking.
    Annie started with her rolling carry-on bag, grouping the items together by function and placing each set in its own pile. She moved on to her suitcase, propping the lid against the bed as she pulled out armfuls of shirts, skirts, shorts, and underwear. Finally, she emptied her cross-shoulder bag, making a careful spread of her smallest but most valuable items. Money. Her passport. Medications. Baby wipes. Chapstick. The small photo album she put together before she left. When she finished, her belongings formed a twisted obstacle course. She stared at it, shifting a present from Mike between her palms.
    The Pink Stringer—a stun gun, disguised as two flamingo-pink tampons and held together in the center by a mish-mash of buttons and wires. Just over two weeks ago, Mike had shown up at her apartment, presented her with this monstrosity of a going away present, and dumped her without explanation. As soon as the door slammed shut behind him, Annie threw the tampon gun in the garbage, but the next morning she fished it out and added it to her growing packing list. It is the jungle. Safety first and all that.
    “I really think I need all of this, Mari.” She stared at the piles and lines. A month was a long time, and she couldn’t understand how she was supposed to fit everything into a single bag. “And my itinerary. Your mom said I would get an itinerary for the trip before we leave.”
    Trapped on the bed, Marisol shook her head. “You have a copy of your passport, yes?”
    Annie nodded.
    “Take the copy. Your real passport stays here.” She gestured toward the dark blue booklet, and Annie handed it over. Marisol dangled over the edge of the mattress and pointed toward Annie’s supply of sunscreen and bug spray. “You can share these things with me. And you do not need this.” She grabbed Annie’s homemade first aid kit—a mix of ibuprofen, neon Band-Aids, a thermometer, and alcohol wipes. “I am a nurse. Felipe is a doctor. We have many medical supplies.”
    Annie’s hands clenched at her sides, but the oblong box took up a lot of space, so she nodded and handed it over. This went on, Marisol dictating what Annie should keep and what she should leave behind. In the end, she found room for four shirts, a pair of pants, two pairs of shorts, and a handful of underwear. She was allowed to take her own shampoo and body wash, but Marisol insisted she put some in travel-sized bottles and leave the rest behind.
    “But this won’t last a month,” Annie insisted.
    Marisol pried a king-sized bottle of shampoo from her hands. “You do not want to carry this many heavy things.”
    Annie squeezed her photo album, journal, and the electrified tampons into the front pocket of the pack, not giving Marisol time to object. “And this stuff? I really need it for my