I gently covered her up, and then headed for my publisher's office. I knew that I could pick up a sandwich or something on the way in, and that I cou...d pick up a shower and a change of clothes in the locker room that they kept for us global correspondents.Admittedly, I was still living out of a suitcase, but the jetlag from the Tokyo assignment was starting to wear off, and another more pervasive "problem" was to wear on me.I had been in Japan for three weeks, ostensibly to cover their. I had hoped for a new alarm clock – I’m fed up of being woken up to ‘Hi, I’m Barbie, wake up and let’s have some fun today!” – any video involving Colin Farrell and a youth hostel renewal voucher. We got our fist taste of youth hostelling when Easyjet started cut-price flights to Paris. In Britain the hostels are either new or fantastically renovated Grade Listed buildings set in some of the most beautiful countryside. The ones in Paris are less so. Away from the tourist hotspots the hostels. Mel spoke first, “Michelle, you never answered my question, have you ever kissed a girl?” “No, but I do want to,” I replied. Mel was biting her lip again when she asked, “can it be me?” I nodded, and I felt her arms wrap around me. I could not believe this was going to happen! I wrapped my arms around her, as our lips came closer together. We were about to experience our first kiss, and I couldn’t wait one more second! Our eyes closed as our lips touched, and what followed was the most intense. I spotted a "help wanted" sign while taking a short-cut getting home one morning after a late night shift as a dish-washer. I grew up in Cicero, a suburb of Chicago--home of Al Capone, one of the largest grave yards in the Midwest and home to one of the most corrupt city governments this side of Detroit. Chicago party politics didn't have ANYTHING on Cicero. If you weren't connected or a union president you were out on your ass.Nonetheless, there were a lot of rail sidings and heavy industry in.