CHAPTER 2
1295 Words
I reach the reception and see a man with a name tag that says 'Pedro'. He smiles and greets me as I approach him.
"Good evening, Mr. Rogan. How can I help you?" he asks.
"Hi, Pedro. I want to check out tomorrow morning. Is there any paperwork I need to sign or anything I need to turn in?" I ask.
He looks surprised and disappointed. His smile fades and his eyes widen.
"Check out? Tomorrow? But you still have an entire month left in your reservation. Is there a problem, sir? Is there anything I can do to make your stay more comfortable or enjoyable?" he frantically asks.
I shake my head and sigh.
"No, Pedro. There's no problem. You've been very kind and helpful. The resort is beautiful and the service is excellent. It's just me. I don't feel like I belong here. I don't feel the summer vacation spirit like everyone else. I think I'm better off going back to New York. I have a lot of work to do anyway." I reply stuffing my hands in my pockets.
He sighs in resignation and then nods.
"I see. Well, I'm sorry to hear that, sir. You're one of our most valued guests, and we hate to see you go so soon. But if that's your decision, then I respect it. You don't need to sign anything or turn in anything. Just pack your bags and leave your key card in your room. We'll take care of everything else." he says.
He pauses and then adds.
"But, sir, if I may, there's something I need to tell you. There's a huge festival that's going to happen around this time tomorrow. It's the biggest and most exciting summer event of the year. There will be music, dancing, food, drinks, fireworks, and a lot more. It's a celebration of the summer solstice. It's a chance to have fun and relax. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Please, sir, I strongly suggest you stay for the festival, It just might make you feel the summer mood."
Pedro looks at me with pleading eyes. He sounds very sincere. Almost as though he really cares about me and my happiness.
I feel a twinge of guilt and an even lesser measure of curiosity. Maybe he's right. Maybe I should stay for the festival.
But then I remember my company and responsibilities.
I can't afford to waste any more time here.
I shake my head again and frown.
"Thanks, Pedro. I appreciate your concern. But I've made up my mind. I'm leaving tomorrow. The festival is not for me. I'm not interested. I'm sorry." I say.
He sighs and nods again.
"Alright, sir. I understand."
He smiles sadly and hands me a brochure of the Solstice festival, “In case you change your mind Mr. Rogan. It has all the information you need to know about the festival.".
I take the brochure and nod.
"Thanks, Pedro. Good night." I say.
"Good night, sir. And good luck," he says.
I turn around and walk away.
I look at the brochure in my hand. I see the colorful pictures and the catchy slogans. I see the words 'Festival of the Sun!’ and 'Join the Fun'.
I feel the slightest bit of temptation.
Maybe I should stay for the festival.
Before I can make up my mind, the sound of approaching footsteps fills my ears and I step aside as a stunning woman speed walks out of the elevator and into the reception in a bathrobe. She doesn't seem very pleased and it seems like Pedro might be in for a verbal lashing seeing as she has two imposing bodyguards flanking her.
I can't help but stare at her as she passes by me. She has platinum blonde hair that's almost white, and bright green eyes that seem like they can glow in the dark. Her bathrobe is doing a shoddy job of covering her supermodel-like body, revealing her long legs and ample curves. She looks like a goddess, but a very angry one.
She reaches the desk and slams her hand on the bell. Pedro jumps and turns to face her. He smiles nervously and greets her.
"Buenas noches, señorita. ¿Cómo puedo ayudarla?" he asks. (Good evening, miss. How can I help you?)
She glares at him and begins to yell at him in Spanish. I don't understand everything she says, but I catch some words like "grifo" (faucet), "inundado" (flooded), and "incompetente" (incompetent).
"¿Cómo puedes ayudarme? ¿Cómo puedes ayudarme? ¿Es que no te das cuenta de lo que ha pasado en mi habitación? El grifo de la bañera se ha roto y ha inundado todo el baño. ¡Todo! El suelo, las paredes, las toallas, mis cosas. ¡Todo está mojado y arruinado! ¿Y sabes qué? ¡No hay nadie que venga a arreglarlo! ¡Nadie! Llamé al servicio de mantenimiento hace una hora y todavía no han aparecido. ¿Qué clase de resort es este? ¿Qué clase de servicio es este? ¿Qué clase de incompetente eres tú?" she rants. (How can you help me? How can you help me? Don't you realize what happened in my room? The faucet in the bathtub broke and flooded the whole bathroom. Everything! The floor, the walls, the towels, my stuff. Everything is wet and ruined! And you know what? There's no one to fix it! No one! I called the maintenance service an hour ago and they still haven't shown up. What kind of resort is this? What kind of service is this? What kind of incompetent establishment are you running?)
Pedro frantically apologizes and tries to calm her down.
"Lo siento mucho, señorita. Lo siento mucho. Fue un accidente, un fallo técnico. No es culpa de nadie. Estamos trabajando para solucionarlo lo antes posible. Por favor, tenga paciencia. Le ofrecemos una habitación de cortesía mientras tanto. Una habitación mejor, más grande, más lujosa. Con una vista espectacular. Con una bañera de hidromasaje. Con todo lo que usted quiera. Por favor, acepte nuestras disculpas y nuestra compensación. Por favor, no se enfade más. Por favor." he pleads. (I'm very sorry, miss. I'm very sorry. It was an accident, a technical failure. It's nobody's fault. We're working to fix it as soon as possible. Please, have patience. We offer you a courtesy room in the meantime. A better room, bigger, more luxurious. With a spectacular view. With a jacuzzi. With everything you want. Please, accept our apologies and our compensation. Please, don't be angry anymore. Please.)
She snorts and rolls her eyes. She grabs the brochure of the solstice festival from the desk and throws it at him and then finally speaks in English, but there’s a slight accent I can’t quite place.
“I’m going to be at the beach for an hour, by the time I come back, I want my room fixed up and cleaned. I’ll have to check out of here tomorrow before something even more tragic happens.”
She turns around and storms off, followed by her bodyguards. Pedro looks stunned and hurt. He picks up the brochure and the bell from the floor and puts them back on the desk. He sighs and wipes his forehead with his hand.
“Dios Mio.”
I decide to leave them alone. I might've tried striking up a conversation with her on any other day, but those bodyguards of hers seemed like they weren't having the best of days either and I didn't want them to take that aggression out on me.
Besides, she clearly wasn't interested in anything outside of checking out of the hotel, that was one thing we already had in common.
So maybe I might just run into her again.
- Writer
