| Subject: Chapter 7 |
Author:
Katie
|
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
Date Posted: 20:09:33 03/29/01 Thu
In reply to:
by Kate
's message, "Things My Mother Taught Me" on 19:49:51 03/29/01 Thu
**************
A little charm and you are not ordinary.
It was early evening, but so far only three rooms at the Lucia were occupied. They were expecting two other parties; David wondered if they'd make it or not.
Not that it mattered much. The hotel was usually empty on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Guests generally began arriving on Thursday and they saw the last of them on Monday. For the Lucia, Wednesdays were the lull before the storm.
He checked the bookings for the weekend. Almost a full house; he'd call the service tomorrow and see about getting some help for Dulcie. Maybe tomorrow he could ask Mr. Samuelle about hiring someone part-time to help on the weekends ...
David began opening the mail, setting the bills aside for payment and sorting personal correspondence for guests in a separate pile. One envelope caught his eye -- it was large, lavender, and no doubt smelled of perfume.
David groaned when he saw the familiar scrawl on the outside.
He finished sorting the mail, leaving the purple envelope for last. He looked at it carefully without touching it and seriously thought about tossing it in the trash. But he'd done that once before and the consequences had been far from enjoyable.
Best to get it over with.
He shoved up his glasses, took a deep breath, and ripped open the envelope. Sickly sweet perfume wafted into the air; he sneezed and his stomach clinched.
Breathing through his mouth, he quickly scanned the letter.
"Oh, well, hell," he said out loud, then looked around to see if anyone had heard him. He was still alone; the Samuelles were in their private quarters and would remain there the rest of the evening, and the few guests at the Lucia were dining out.
"Hell," he repeated forcefully. "Damn. Damn, damn, damn it all to --"
"Excuse me."
David's head snapped up and he forgot to breathe through his mouth; he took a deep breath of perfumed air and promptly sneezed. He dropped the letter to the counter and stepped back.
Standing in front of him was perhaps the dirtiest girl he'd ever seen. Her hair was cropped short and wiry, so it floated around her face. Her shirt was too large and tied tight around her waist, and her jeans -- what he could see of them -- were filthy and nearly worn out. At first he'd thought she was maybe 12 or 13, but a closer look told him that despite her small size and lack of curves, she was somewhere in her 20s.
David blinked and slowly came around the desk to get the full effect. Her hair was pale brown, bleached from the sun, and her skin was a dusky color. She had a sharp little chin and slanting cheekbones, giving her the look of an elf or fairy. She was covered in dust, from the crown of her head to her scuffed boots. The only thing that wasn't quite as dirty as the rest of her was her hand, which was encased in white gauze.
She dropped her backpack and tilted her head. Bright brown eyes regarded him curiously. "Are you always this rude or is it just an American trait?"
"Uh ... I wasn't expecting ..."
"Obviously not."
He remembered his string of curses, and even though technically it wasn't quitecursing, he said, "I'm sorry about the language. I thought I was alone."
"In a hotel, you're never alone. You should remember that."
"I will." The only saving grace to this whole fiasco was neither of the Samuelles had witnessed it. Being rude to a hotel guest, no matter who she was or how unsanitary she was, was unforgivable and certainly grounds for firing. Desperately trying to think of some way to placate the guest, he focused on her rucksack on the floor. It was brand new and still had the store tags on it; the top wasn't fastened and he could see a paperback book, a bottle of water and a package of cookies. "Are you hungry? The Lucia doesn't have much in the way of hot dishes, but I could get you a sandwich if you want. It's the least I can do."
"Food would be good," she said thoughtfully, still studying him.
David pushed the offending letter out of the way, which let loose another wave of perfume. The woman wrinkled her nose. "What is that?"
"My mother's way of getting my attention," David muttered, brushing the letter out of sight.
"Well, she's got terrible taste in stationery."
"No kidding. Every time I open up her letters, I feel sick to my stomach."
"Why open them, then?"
"Because if I don't, sometimes it's worse." Without bothering to explain, he pulled out the registration book and said, "I've got the honeymoon suite if you want it. I won't charge you extra, and you can have it for four days."
"Oh, that's not necessary."
"Maybe not, but I was rude and I'd like to make it up to you."
She tilted her head again, studying him. "As a way of saying you're sorry?"
"Uh ... yes."
"That's very nice of you. But you don't have to do that."
"Well ..." David paused, then said, "How long do you think you'll be staying?"
"I'm not sure. At least a week."
He refrained from making any comment about her luggage or lack thereof, but she said, "It was a spur-of-the-moment trip and my mother always taught me to pack light."
"I see," he said, not really sure of what else he could say. He looked at the reservation book, then said determinedly, "Well, I've got a really nice room with a sea view you can have. It's clean and ready to go. All I need is your signature here, and I can show you to your room. If you don't like it, we'll find one you do like."
She looked at the form he pushed over to her, then she pushed it back. "I really don't need this."
"But --"
She held out the hand that wasn't bandaged -- dirty, scraped, with a few fresh scabs decorating her knuckles. Her fingernails were grimy and broken off, and the heel of her hand was calloused. It felt small, and David found himself molding his hand to hers. She smiled politely and said, "I'm Milla. Milla Samuelle. I'll just go on back, if that's okay."
She picked up her backpack, slung it over her shoulder and strode past him, leaving a faint scent of dust and heat in her wake.
"Damn," David said out loud. "Damn, damn, damn."
************************
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
| |
Feedback: 