The Golden Hotel

On the afternoon of March 08, 2020, people had gathered inside a fancy hotel in New York City to celebrate their much-awaited reunion party. Speakers hanging on the ceiling boomed with pop music around the event hall. Laser lights crazily blinked and flashed on their faces, hilariously blinding some of them. Young adults chattered merrily without end while others danced until they dropped. The rest were eating at their respective round tables adorned with a decorative candelabra, lit candles, and a red flower arrangement. Plates clattered and drinking glasses tinkled at the sound of forks tapped against them. Some women took pictures of the sophisticated display when a male host came up the stage, easing the folds of his tuxedo. An event coordinator handed him a microphone and it made an audible screech. The music stopped on cue and he professionally stood straight with a wide smile. "Good evening, everyone! Are you all having fun?" Loud cheers followed before it faded into the background. "That cheer was superb! First of all, we would like to thank each and every one of you for attending Crimson Hill University's reunion party for our senior batch! Of course, without you handsome and beautiful people, this event wouldn't have been possible." The male host fished out a small card from his pocket, appearing to be his script. He briefly glanced to read it before flashing another smile towards the audience. "You guys wanna know who came up with this special prize? You were all informed about this, right?" Rowdy noises filled the event hall from shouting, clapping, and howling. "No, no! His or her identity remains a secret but our sponsor is generous enough to give out a clue. His or her name contains the letter 'E'." The audience booed. "Not much of a clue, eh?" The host chuckled quietly. "But as promised, we have 12 people who are very lucky to receive an invitation to . . . stay inside a five-star hotel!" People squealed with their eyes sparkling with excitement. "On your respective tables, you should be able to see a small letter hidden under your plates!" The host began laughing when the young adults at the dance floor ran back to their seats. "We only chose two groups of friends! Who are the lucky ones that will get the opportunity to sleep inside a luxurious hotel? The one who is behind this expensive prize is someone with the letter 'E', folks!" A young lady checked under her plate. She smiled when a folded paper came into her view. As soon as she plucked it out, her other friends squealed harmoniously, causing her to flinch in her seat. Celebrating hyper-actively with her friends wasn't her cup of tea, but there was one guy friend whom she would be happy to do it with. "Where is that teddy bear?" Taking the letter under his plate, she stood tall and turned to her friends who were huddled together with their back facing her. "'Scuse me, girls! I'll go and fetch Theo." Theo was the name of her best friend. What was taking him so long to return? The young lady took long strides before exiting the event hall. She continued down the hallway, careful enough not to trip on her red stiletto heels. Once she spotted the men's toilet, she lifted the hem of her slinky red dress and ran in a hurry. "Theo! Get your ass out here!" A twenty-six-year-old gentleman, who had finished lathering his hands with his sleeves rolled up, perked his head. Theo was tall and slim. His body built was not that buff, but people could tell he was working out based on his manly arms and biceps. Women would often evaluate him as the cute guy next door once he stretched a friendly smile. His bluish-grey eyes were mesmerizing, to add. He quickly dried his hands with a paper towel, threw it into a bin, and ran his fingers through his long, tousled black hair. Satisfied with the arrangement, he walked out of the men's toilet to meet with her. But when he stepped out, she clashed against him harder than expected that she dived forward while he outbalanced himself and fell backward. Unluckily, she hit her head against the open door. "That really hurt. . . ." She moaned as she soothed her throbbing head. There was a sharp tingling sensation around her knees and elbows so she inspected it. No scratches. Still, she was grateful that instead of hitting the edge of the doorway, her head hit the sturdy door. Otherwise, she would have been severely injured. Theo sat on his butt, winced for a second, and quickly glanced at her who tried to get up but failed. "Faith!" He helped her to sit up as she leaned her back against the wall, away from the men's toilet. "You okay?" "I'm fine, I'm fine." Faith responded with a sheepish laugh, rubbing her throbbing head. He sighed. "Why are you looking for me?" "About that, I came here to show you this." She waved the letter in her hand with a smile. "We got lucky!" His mouth fell open, not believing it for a second, but it was real. "Who else got lucky?" "I'm not quite sure who they are. I left to find you," she said, handing the letter to him. "Go on and check it out." He opened the folded paper and read the words written in red ink: Congratulations! The name of this newly opened five-star hotel is Golden Hotel located at Long Island Beach. In this short vacation for 4 days, you will experience fun and games to play! Seek out adventures with your friends! Laugh and cry! Win more prizes and maybe some cash? The meeting place will be in this hotel's lobby. See you on Friday at exactly 9 o'clock in the morning. All expenses are paid during your stay. -Mystery E. His eyes grew wide. A five-star hotel. This sponsor must be extremely rich to have their vacation expenses paid. Nevertheless, it was worth the shot. A short vacation for at least four days sounded thrilling for him. "Sounds pretty good." He looked at her with a smile. "I guess . . . this sponsor might surprise us with a program." "Like get invited to a talk show?" She raised an eyebrow. "With Jimmy Kimmel? James Corden? Jimmy Fallon?" He casually shrugged his shoulders. "The only way to find out is to be there." Nodding in agreement, Faith tried to get up. Theo assisted her as she straightened her posture, wobbling a little as she did. Stiletto heels. Why on earth would some women wear such killer footwear? "Can you walk? You kinda rammed your head against the poor door. I feel sorry for it." Theo snickered, clamping his mouth as they walked down the hallway, and he earned a slap on his bicep. ·························· Faith returned home in her village at Alexander. Her feet were aching badly after removing her stiletto heels by the doorstep. She cursed under her breath for wearing those killer heels. She should have brought with her a pair of slippers but she forgot about it. Theo had nagged her to death before that reunion party and true enough, he was right. A reddish blister had already formed when she checked her ankles. She let out a heavy sigh. "This will burn really good. . . ." "Faith, dear, is that you? Are you home?" A woman's sweet voice echoed somewhere. "I'm home, Mom!" A woman in her mid-40s emerged from the kitchen. Her shoulder length black hair bounced in every step as she approached her daughter. Based on the wrinkles of her white, silky nightgown, she had gone to bed a few hours ago before waking up to wait for her. It was her mother's force of habit in their household due to their occupations. "It's past midnight! You must be hungry. Have a little snack in the kitchen. I've made you an egg sandwich and filled you a glass of water." Her sweetly mother smiled. "You didn't have to, Mom." Smiling back, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her mother. "I'm already twenty-six. I can make my own egg sandwich." "It's the least I can do, honey. Besides, I know you're tired." Her mother pulled away before looking at her with a soft gaze. "Did you have fun with your friends? How did it go?" "Yeah, it was fun," she said, adjusting the strap of her small purse on her shoulder, "and that's why I have something important to tell you and Dad when he wakes up." "Oh, really?" Her mother lifted a brow. "I hope it's something worth hearing." "It is." Faith briefly laughed. "My friends were literally screaming and jumping." "Seems like you have a long story to tell." Her mother placed a hand behind her daughter, motioning her to go upstairs. "Go ahead and change your clothes first. Come back down once you're done." When Faith began climbing up the stairs, her mother spotted the small blisters around her ankles. A small gasp escaped her lips. She immediately knew that her daughter had forgotten one thing to bring. "Honey, you have blisters! Did you forget to bring a pair of slippers? Have that cleaned right away!" "Sorry about that!" Faith glanced over her right shoulder and smiled in a sheepish way. She knew how her mother would always react that way whenever she and her father came home with questionable wounds and blisters. "Nothing serious happened at the party! No cops required!" "Good. I'll be waiting in the kitchen!" As soon as her daughter was out of sight, she sighed and walked towards the bathroom.