Page 10 of Made For You
Finally, I made it to my waiting car and allowed him to place my bag in the trunk. As I settled into the back seat, I slipped my sunglasses free from my purse and slid them on over my eyes.
This time, I was prepared, and I was going to enjoy myself regardless of the outcome. And I knew better than to call my family if anything went awry.
The drive lasted forty-five minutes before we made it to the hotel, even though the map estimated it would take twenty. After paying and exiting the car, I took my luggage that thedriver insisted on grabbing from the trunk and started toward the hotel’s lobby.
I knew the place had undergone renovations over the past year, but I was taken aback when I stepped through the glass doors. They replaced the retro aesthetic with a modern overlay that immediately felt luxurious.
“Good afternoon,” a man said with a tip of his hat as I took in my surroundings.
“Oh. Good afternoon,” I replied as I moved out of the way of the entrance, my eyes flicking toward the top of the three-story lobby and taking in the Miami sun pouring through the glass panels.
“Wow,” I murmured, following a group of people to the main desk for check-in. I learned my lesson last time, and I planned to secure my room before registering for the conference.
The line was long, and I considered stepping out and grabbing my seminar packet and name badge, but I knew I’d be waiting just as long later. Instead, I scrolled on my phone while I waited, posting a picture on my social media from when I arrived in Miami. I’d taken it at the airport in front of a window when the sun was making everything glisten.
Collectively, we all shuffled forward as they helped each person until finally it was my turn.
“Next,” the young man standing behind the desk hollered without looking up from his computer screen. Reaching down, I gripped the handle of my suitcase, then began shuffling toward the clerk just as a harried woman darted in front of the line and cut me off. I stumbled back into the man standing behind me, and I quickly apologized. The group in the linebehind me all groaned in unison as the lady began to reprimand the man at the front desk.
I didn’t normally like to cause a confrontation or draw attention to myself, but my instincts went on high alert as the man behind the desk turned a sickly ashen-gray. The woman who continued to berate the clerk took another step closer to the desk so that her body practically hovered over the top.
At that point, I’d had enough and released my bag, then carried myself over to the desk as if pushed.
“Excuse me, is there a problem here?” I asked the woman as I sidled up next to her. I had to tilt my head back to make eye contact with her, but my lack of height had never deterred me from commanding attention when I sought it. I quickly glanced at her name tag, one that signified she was one of the teachers here for the conference.
“No,” she said, ignoring me with a flip of her frizzy red hair.
“Actually, I think there is, Gertrude. We’ve all been waiting patiently in this line, and you thought it right to jump in front of us. You’re causing a ruckus, when all we want to do is get checked in to our rooms. As a teacher, I think you’d know how to speak with others. Instead, you’re berating this man, who is just trying to help you.”
“Well… I…,”she replied, her mouth flapping open and closed like a fish.
Turning toward the clerk, I asked him what caused the confrontation, and he explained Gertrude wasn’t satisfied with the view outside from her room. He added that she made a standard reservation, not an upgraded view of the pool or gardens.
“So, you’re giving this young man a hard time because of your view? Aren’t you here for a conference that runs the majority of the day? You will barely be in your room for it to matter what you’ll see when you happen to glance out your window.”
“Yes… I….” She seemed to lose all her steam as I continued to stand there, eyeing her.
“First, please apologize to this man. He’s only trying to do his job. Second, remember you could have waited in line like everyone else. Third, please move so the rest of us can get checked in.”
“I’ve never,” she mumbled as she stomped away, her frizzy mane bouncing with each of her steps. No apology given for her outburst.
Once it was clear she wasn’t coming back, the group waiting in line broke into applause, and my cheeks felt like I’d been sitting out in the sun for too long. Apparently, I had not only drawn the attention of the crowd close by, but people who were in the lobby had gathered. Thankfully, I didn’t notice any phones out to film the interaction. Our school superintendent in Ashfield was very old school, and it didn’t take much for him to find a reason to write you up. Our teachers were already in short supply, but he fired one of the high-school teachers for a social media post he didn’t care for. It wasn’t even bad, if you asked me, but it wasn’t my decision.
That firing was also why I had been moved from teaching first grade to eleventh, or whatever high-school level they needed me at. I almost regretted getting a license in all levels of teaching.
Reaching up, I tried to tuck a piece of hair behind my ear, my nervous habit, then remembered the strands were pulledback in a ponytail. Instead, I twisted the small pearl earring in my lobe as I stepped to retrieve my suitcase and then went back to the man whose face had finally returned to its natural hue.
“Hi,” I said as calmly as I could. My heart was still racing at the confrontation I willingly put myself in.
“Hello,” he squawked, then immediately cleared his throat and repeated the greeting. “Welcome to The Wilder Hotel and Spa. Are you checking in?”
“Yes. The name is Aurora Easterly.”
“Of course.” A tapping noise came from behind the ledge of the desk as he typed on the keyboard. Without lifting his head, the man’s eyes darted up to mine as he said quietly, “And thank you.”
“Oh. Well, it was nothing,” I replied with a smile. By his tone, I could tell the interaction embarrassed him.
“It’s only my second week on the job,” he declared.
