Page 169 of The Texas Sterling Collection
Wyl shook his head. “I have no plans to get behind the wheel.”
“Very good, sir,” The agent busied himself with the paperwork.
“You probably should add your name, Wyl. You never know.”
“Sir?” the agent asked.
Wyl sighed and nodded. “Add my name.”
“Yes, sir. We are bringing your car around now.”
They finished the paperwork and moved to the area outside the main terminal indicated by the agent. The Mercedes E-Class arrived, and the gentleman delivering the car helped them with their luggage.
Wyl climbed into the passenger side, which was the driver's side in the States. “Damn, this is weird.”
Rod maneuvered effortlessly out of the airport and entered the M18 toward Galway.
“Shit,” Wyl kept muttering as his foot constantly pressed the floorboard on the passenger side. “I’m glad you’re doing the driving. I was in London for a while, but always rode in the back seat. Countries with historic British influence have left-hand driving. In cabs, buses, or military vehicles, I paid no attention. But being the only passenger, this driving on the wrong side of the road stuff will take adapting.”
“Relax, Wyl. I can handle the driving if you can handle the criminals.”
“Sure thing, babe. You point out those old criminals, and I’ll take ’em down.” Wyl’s nervous chuckle said the scenario was not as much a joke as a probability.
The commute from Shannon Airport to Galway took an hour. In Galway, traffic added almost another hour to the commute, even with GPS. After what seemed like forever, Rod turned into the parking area for the Citypoint Apartments in Eyre Square.
“Traffic isn’t any better over here,” Wyl said as they parked.
“Many streets here are narrow, laid out before automobiles. That makes handling traffic a challenge. But we made it.”
Wyl chuckled, opening his car door. “You made it. I was just along for the terror.”
“Did you say pleasant ride?” Rod chuckled as he got out. “I could swear that’s what you said.”
“Uh…yeah. You believe whatever you say you heard, babe.” Wyl opened the apartment management office door and ushered Rod inside.
“Good afternoon, gentlemen,” the man behind the counter greeted them. “How may I assist you?”
“Wyl and Rod Sterling. You have a flat reserved for us,” Wyl said.
“Yes, sir,” the clerk nodded. “Our usual check-in time is 2:00 p.m. However, we have your flat ready. You can occupy it straight away.”
“Thank you,” Wyl responded. “We would like to settle in. The overnight flight, combined with the time change, wore us out.”
“And I see you are on an extended stay with us, with an open check-out date. I hope you can give us a nod a few days before your check-out so we can add the flat to our available list.”
“We can certainly do that,” Rod said.
“Gentlemen, your keys.” He handed each of them a key card. “You are in flat 220. Up the stairs and to your right. The flat is fully furnished, including telephone, television service, and secure wireless Internet.” He held out a card. “This is your unique Wi-Fi passcode. Let me know if any issues arise.”
Rod took the card. “We will need to fill the larder. Is there a grocery nearby?”
“There is a supermarket down the street, a few blocks.” He reached into a counter display and retrieved a sheet with the supermarket name, description, and directions. “If you need anything else, I am here to help.”
Wyl nodded, “Thank you.”
Back at the car, they unloaded their bags. “Seems like a nice place,” Rod said.
Wyl nodded. “Much better than a hotel. At least we’ll have a place we can relax.”
