WHO CAME TO THE HOTEL BY FIONA CUMMINGS (SHORT STORY)

WHO CAME TO THE HOTEL

BY FIONA CUMMINGS

 

She was so beautiful. Hair of pure gold and almost turquoise eyes, framed by lashes of new two penny peaces.

Tall too, almost willowy and slim as a reed growing near by a fast flowing river!

Who was she? Well no one ever quite knew her in the real world. Yes, we knew her name, Sarah.

We knew how old she said she was, 19. But was she?

We never met her family, she didn’t speak of them or where she came from.

As for her background? Hmm. Whenever anything was spoken about her past, she found something to occupy herself to avoid the subject of her childhood.

 Where was she educated?  In fact, was she educated at all? I mean, we weren’t quite sure to be honest how she got the job at our hotel. Who even employed her, as Tori Williams, our manager, blanked us whenever we asked about Sarah? The job was not advertised and the owner of the hotel, Benjamin Oakley, a relaxed kind of guy, who used to sit in the drawing room, with his face in the papers reading all about finances and seeing what was racing on the flats that weekend, sipping on a peppermint tea whilst his turned up smile only on the left side of his face would pass a smart comment at one of us girls. He was a nice person though, did so much for charity considering his past! So we could talk with him in a one on one term. I asked him on the 30^th of April, 2014. I remember that date as it was my birthday and Mr. Oakley asked Tim, our head barman to prepare me a drink the drink they had spoken about earlier. A gift from Mr. Oakley.  Did I mention he had a funny sense of humour?

A coke with a cherry and a paper umbrella was my tipple.

As I sat with him to take a drink, I asked Mr. Oakley about Sarah.

“So, the new girl, Sarah?” I dared to ask. As he rattled his papers, placing his pen in his lips as he made some poor attempt to talk through the mixture of plastic and porcelain, all I could understand was him saying he wasn’t there to tittle tattle. It was my job to work making sure our guests were satisfied and he was there to keep the boat a sail.

He was really red, as though in anger rather than shy to my questions.

The atmosphere was like walking into a room where you just know you are not wanted.

I mean, Tim was more direct than me. He asked Sarah the question of how she came to our hotel and who gave her the job? Sarah just acted as though she hadn’t heard him, but to be honest, if she didn’t hear him, I’m not quite sure how she is able to answer the phone behind reception, as surely her hearing must be impaired?

She just appeared one day. The management are as though walking on egg shells around her. She comes to work late, leaves early, her lunch breaks are more like a siesta, and no one reprimands her.

But she is so lovable likeable and seriously stunning. Her clothes are impeccable. Her skin like a porcelain doll and a voice like an angel fresh from finishing school in heaven.

At the end of her shift, where did she go? Who did she meet? I just had to find out and the only way I could do this was to tell Tori I was ill, so when one of us saw Sarah go for her light coloured linin jacket that hung without a crease from the brass horse head hooks in the staff room I could tell Tori I had to leave early.

And that day came.

I kind of wished it hadn’t.