Page 6 of Vitamin Sea

The magazine was a beacon in a sea of drowning magazine and media companies.

Mostly, Chloe believed, because Dasha pushed her employees to be the best. And while some people might not like a boss who demanded nothing short of perfection, the staff at Strut responded positively to the pushing.

Their bi-monthly all-staff brainstorming sessions were Olympic-level competitions to see who could come up with the next great idea for a captivating feature or a show-stopping editorial.

All the employees, even the entry-level editors, were considered top players in their industry.

And it was because of Dasha’s pushing that they all had jobs.

With the advent of the internet, print and online magazines had fallen away and there were now only a handful of publications—all of which were fighting for longevity.

Magazines had to be at the top of their game, which meant that their staff had to be at the top of their game too.

In mainstream and alternative media, Strut had been described as ‘bold’, ‘forward’, and a ‘force to be reckoned with’ and Chloe was proud to be working there.

When she had started studying journalism, there wasn’t any subject she had felt particularly drawn to.

But that changed after she started interning at Strut and got to see up close what Aurelie, the travel editor at the time, got to do.

Aurelie, a second-generation Canadian whose family hailed from France, had blown into the office one winter morning with a golden tan, a raffia handbag, and looking like she had had the best sleep of her life.

“Ritz Carlton Bahamas travel feature,” she had tossed off in response to Chloe’s jaw-dropped expression.

Before that, Chloe had had vague notions of what a travel editor did.

Which was much like what any other editor or writer might do—research and then write.

What Chloe hadn’t appreciated or understood was that, like the fashion editor who goes to Paris, London, and Milan to write about fashion, Strut ’s travel editor went to the locations, hotels, and locales to write about travel.

She had liked Aurelie, but from that moment on, Chloe had had one goal in mind—to get Aurelie’s job.

Chloe had slowly risen up the ranks of the magazine until the celebrated day came, six years on, when Aurelie tendered her resignation. Her husband had been offered a job in New York City, and it was too good an opportunity for them to pass up.

Dasha, knowing what a loss Aurelie would be to Strut , had offered to let her work remotely, but Aurelie had turned the opportunity down.

Her husband would be working long and odd hours with his new career and she wanted to ensure she was there to support him and their family, the same way that her husband had supported her.

After all—without him she wouldn’t have been able to take all those trips she had gone on and written about.

With two children at home who couldn’t very well be dragged along with her, she had often required him to be a stay-at-home dad on weekends and on weekdays.

When Chloe had heard that her colleague was leaving, she had almost leapt out of her seat with joy.

She was sad that Aurelie would be leaving, yes.

But she was also out-of-her-mind excited.

She was confident that she would do a bang-up job in the travel editor’s position if she was given the opportunity.

Not that she was so arrogant as to think she was the top candidate for the job.

Nevertheless, when the position was posted, Chloe had immediately submitted her portfolio and, after an informal interview with Dasha, Chloe had been offered the position before leaving her boss’s office.

It was all Chloe could do not to leap across the table and tackle Dasha in an enthusiastic hug.

She had dreamed of this moment. Literally.

Some of her dreams had her jetting around the world in bizarre situations as a travel editor—visiting a remote region of the Amazon to stay in a grass hut with Indigenous tribes; scuba diving with the president of France—and now her dream was coming true.

The other staffers had all been supportive.

To the best of Chloe’s knowledge, no one else had put in for the travel editor’s position.

The women and men at Strut were mostly happy with their roles.

It was largely a fashion-based magazine so it kind of made sense that no one wanted the travel section.

But there were hundreds of external applications—who didn’t want a job that involved all-expense-paid luxury vacations?

Chloe was given Aurelie’s old office and moved her things in that afternoon.

She had gone out and celebrated after phoning and texting her friends and family the good news. Champagne, shots, and margaritas had flowed like a river, and the next morning, Chloe thanked her lucky stars that she didn’t have to work that holiday Friday—she felt like death warmed over.

She had quickly settled into her role and went to Greece on her first assignment. Her mom had come along as her plus-one and her dad had bought a plane ticket to join them.

Chloe couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate reaching her career goal. It was a short trip—three days, four nights, which was the length of most of her travel assignments. But it was a trip she knew she would remember forever.

They had spent three glorious days experiencing Santorini like the one percent.

They ate fantastic food, took in the picturesque sights, soaked up the sun, and toured the ancient ruins.

It was the perfect celebration to mark the start of her dream job, and she felt unbelievably grateful to be able to experience it with her parents.

Several years later, she still considered it to be one of the best trips she had ever taken. Which was really saying something considering what she had experienced in the years since.

It had taken her a while to get used to flying business and first class and being catered to hand and foot.

It was something she was more comfortable with now, but it wasn’t ever something she took for granted.

She knew that whenever her travel editor gig was up, she would be like Cinderella when the clock struck midnight—back to flying economy, saving up for vacations, staying at affordable hotels, and being budget conscious when it came to restaurants.

Fortunately, there seemed to be a semi-permanent pause on Chloe’s clock. Its hands had been frozen in time—stuck at a very reasonable 7 p.m. Which meant there was plenty of time for her to keep enjoying the perks of her position.

And that was the story of her career.

And of Liam.

The rest, as they say, was history.

Just like her five-year-long relationship.

◆◆◆

“Chloe!” Dasha exclaimed as she passed Chloe in the office. Her boss sounded happy, but her facial expression stayed the same.

It was earlier than most staffers arrived, and besides her and Dasha, the office appeared to be empty.

“I’m glad to see you back in the office. You look great.” Dasha paused before getting back to business. “We need a hot travel feature for our October issue. Stop by my office once you’ve settled yourself in.”

Chloe nodded. “Thank you,” she said sincerely. “I’m glad

to be back. I’ll drop my things off and come by in five.”

Despite Dasha having approved Chloe’s multi-month work-from-home arrangement and allowing her to offshore a few months’ worth of travel features, there was a knot in the pit of Chloe’s stomach.

She hadn’t been a model employee the past few months.

What she had been was a champion loafer.

Snacking, sobbing, and sleeping wasn’t a recipe for success, and she was grateful that Dasha had been compassionate towards her.

But, she thought, maybe it had more to do with labor and employment laws in the province.

She dropped her coat and bag off in her office—she had a small space close to the kitchen—and had been hit with a wave of nostalgia when she unlocked her office door.

She hadn’t been in it since her life had been turned upside down.

With effort, she pushed the thought to the back of her mind and headed for Dasha’s door.

Her boss ran a tight ship, but it was one of the reasons why the magazine was so revered.

It was also one of the reasons why Dasha was so well paid and popular.

Chloe knew from gossip around the office that magazines and corporations were always trying to poach the fierce editor, but Strut was Dasha’s baby.

Literally.

The editor in chief and her long-term partner, Mikhail, who also ran a company and worked long hours, had never had children. For Chloe, she hadn’t minded the fact that Liam spent most of his time at work, and she had often wondered if that was how Dasha’s relationship worked too.

Liam had met the editor in chief a handful of times at events that she had brought him to like the company’s annual Christmas party. Which usually consisted of dinner in a private dining room filled with staff dressed in high fashion and their toned-down but dressed-up partners.

She had seen a barely perceptible hint of disapproval on Dasha’s face the first time she had met Chloe’s boyfriend.

Which was really saying something, given that most of the time Dasha’s face didn’t move.

The slightest of creases between her boss’s brows had alerted Chloe to the fact that Dasha didn’t seem pleased with Liam.

She didn’t understand why.

“Take a seat,” Dasha gestured to one of the chairs across from her desk.

Chloe did as she was told.

“We’ve gotten by with the pieces you front-loaded for our last few issues and two freelance features,” Dasha sounded measured.

The pit in her stomach tightened and she suddenly felt sick. She knew the articles Dasha was referencing and the freelancers. Chloe had recommended them herself. Was this a preamble to being fired?