Far Eastern Adventure

pooh-poohed his excuses and said it was settled and he would just
have to prove his mettle as a reporter.
“A good reporter can find a story in anything,” she reproved
him. “The US audience is ready for a new angle, and I think a
taste of the exotic would be just about right. We’ve had enough
about the technological prowess of our eastern competitors, what
we all want to find out is how they live their lives and what
they do with leisure time,” she lectured.

In what seemed like a few short weeks he had packed up
almost all of his precious clothes and shipped them to the Far
East, unsure when and if they would get there. It was extremely
disconcerting to be momentarily disconnected from his feminine
fantasy world. He had kept out a few of his favorite things, his
prettiest nightie, some basic lingerie, a wash and wear travel
dress, a practical blouse, and a pair of jeans, but as soon as
the boxes were taken from his apartment he felt a growing sense
of unease. What if they didn’t arrive intact? What if his
pretty things were somehow spoiled in transit? What if they just
plain disappeared en route? It was so terribly worrisome, that
he hardly had time to consider what a long term overseas
assignment would mean in terms of his personal life. He had few
casual friends and acquaintances to whom he said good-bye. His
family seemed very far away in their rural mid-western home; and
it had been several years already since he had been home. He
was, come to think of it, virtually free of any entangling
alliances; he was ready for whatever adventures might be in store
for him.

He arrived in Singapore after a long flight and checked into
his hotel. It was late afternoon when he arrived, but he
immediately went to his room and drew a steaming hot bath. It
seemed like several days since he had last shaved, and he simply
hated the thought of all that ugly brown hair starting to mess up