Page 66 of The Luck of Finding You
I nearly fall over when I hear someone walking in the hallway outside.
“HELLO! HELP! I’M STUCK IN HERE,” I yell as loudly as I can and bang on the door again. I wince as I pull my hand away, which is still tender from all the banging I did earlier.
“Hello?” I hear a woman call tentatively back.
A person! I could cry in relief. “Hi! Yes! I’m stuck in the bathroom; the lock won’t unlock. Could you find someone to help?”
“Yeah…just a second.” The sound of footsteps fades, and I’m alone again.
“Sir?” a man asks through the door, and I think it’s the security guard from earlier.
“Yeah! I’m stuck.” I try to keep my voice calm, but the truth is, I’m mad. Mad that the door locked. Mad that I didn’t have my phone with me. Annoyed that the guy on the other hasn’t tried to open door from the outside yet.
“Have you had any alcohol to drink?” he yells through the door.
“What? No! I just want to get out of the bathroom. I twisted the knob and heard a click, but it seems to be locked still,” I yell back.
“All right.” I hear muffled radio sounds. “I’m having someone bring the master key. This happens every couple of weeks.”
It happens every couple of weeks? So why don’t they get it fixed?
I sit on the counter while I wait, and a few seconds later there’s a knock on the door. “I’ve got the key. You’re clothed?”
“Yes!” Does this guy really think I’m drunk? I’m stuck in the bathroom, not for funsies or because I’m so intoxicated that I can’t get out. Plus, he said this happens every couple of weeks. Why would he assume I’m drunk?
“The key doesn’t work,” the man calls. “The door seems to have locked itself. I have to call the fire department.”
I throw my head back in frustration. “Can someone get me out!? Please?” No one answers my question.
What I think is twenty minutes later, there’s another knock on the door. “I’m Ned from the fire department. We’d like you to stand away from the door. We’re going to take out the bolts to remove the door.” I hop off the counter and move to the corner farthest away from the door.
After another eternity, the door slowly moves open, off its hinges. I grab my book and rush forward as an EMT rushes toward me. I hold up a hand to stop him. “I’m totally fine, I’ve just been stuck in here for—what time is it?”
Ned looks at his watch. “Almost seven.”
“I’ve been stuck in here for over an hour,” I tell the group of people staring at me. “Now, if you don’t mind, I need to go find a friend.”
The people move at a sloth’s pace to let me through.
I have to find Tally.
I sneak into the main event room, where Simone is at the front, talking and laughing and answering audience questions. I scan the backs of heads for Tally. Where would she have sat after she realized I—Mo—wasn’t coming? She would have looked for me, but if she couldn’t see me, she’d probably just have found a spot. I’m still scanning the crowd when there’s a flurry of movement.
“You going to get in line?” a woman asks me, nodding to the desk that I failed to notice before. I’m standing right by the autograph station.
“What?” I ask, distracted.
The woman hands me a sticky note. “Write your name on this if you want it personalized.” She moves on to the person behind me and tells her the same thing. Simone gets to the table and grins up at me. I hand her my book.
“Anything specific?” she asks, holding a Sharpie.
“For Tally.” Her name comes out because she’s all I can think about right now. I hold up the sticky note. “Sorry, she just gave me this.”
Simone smiles at me. “Not a problem, dear.” She signs the book and hands it back to me. I scan the crowd of people, waiting for Tally to see me or call out to me. If she was in here, she’d be able to see me or I would be able to see her at this point since the line wraps around the room.
Disappointment hits me like a ton of bricks. She must have gone back to the hotel when she got stood up.
It’s only when I’m running out of the hotel and across the street to where we’re staying that I realize I had her sign my book to Tally.
