Frequent Traveller (Cathy Dixon #1)

by Pandora Poikilos

  Mr. Smith looked up from his paper and noticed the exchange between the two co-workers. Even though too far to hear what was being said, he understood that the conversation was not about mutual admiration for the flowers in the lobby. The man watched as Cathy faced her co-worker and made him feel small. Then he paid more attention to her rosy cheeks and pale smooth skin.

  "Pretty," he thought "but not my type." Today, he felt like gloating. Once every three months, he came here for business and most certainly for pleasure. When asked at Customs what his reasons were for visiting the country, he always snickered. If they only knew.

  "Beautiful, beautiful Kathmandu and all the pleasures you bring me," he muttered to himself.

  His activity during these frequent trips was his treat to himself. No one back home had a clue of what he did during his 'business' trips. Nobody appreciated him. Nobody understood how hard he worked. His wife, Eleanor was too busy spending his money on charities to spare him a moment and his two teenage children were happy with their gadgets and holidays with friends. He did not exist in their world.

  But during these trips, he was not a fifty year old balding accountant with too much weight on his belly. Here, he was King. All he had to do was open his wallet and he could, if he wanted, have a whole village at his feet.

  Yes, life was good. He gave his family what they wanted and once every three months he got what he wanted. Everybody was happy and there was nothing wrong with that.

  Upstairs in Room 403, no determination or gloating twirled in the room. The curtains were pulled slightly apart. Rays from the morning sun, threw light on the dark brown furniture and mahogany tables. On the wall above the bed, a colourful oil painting of a little girl in the park with her umbrella was displayed. A sad innocent smile on her face made you wonder about the thoughts running through her head.

  On the bed, the sheets were a mess. Innocence had long since been ripped apart. A small, petite figure had pulled the bed sheets all around her. Tears stained her face which was twisted with grief and fear, if one could even tell the two apart.

  Amita remembered the year before when the man had visited her home. He said she was one of the lucky few given the opportunity to work in a five-star hotel kitchen for $300 per month. Plus, she would have the advantage of learning English. All in all, it was the opportunity of a lifetime.

  "Papa wouldn't have to work so hard. That is a lot of money that can help us a lot," she remembered telling herself.

  Now, more than a year later or maybe it was two, time had so little meaning when you were in hell, she worked in five-star hotels and learnt English but not in a way she had ever dreamed of. From the day she left home till last night, it was man after man, night after night making her perform wretched acts she never even knew possible. Even when she did not like it, she had to smile or she would then have to feel the lash of a hard belt on her skin. Amita cried some more as these memories came back to her. As disjointed as the memories were, she knew where to look for the scars she had been given since she had left home.

  Yesterday, when she was sent here she had fooled herself into thinking, 'Maybe, just maybe this man would be different. He seemed so nice and reminded me of Papa. He is much older than the rest. Maybe he will not touch me.'

  Treating her to a large dinner, the man told her she could order anything she desired then took her on a shopping spree.

  "Anything you want," he had said to her. "Clothes, shoes, bags ... nothing was off limits."

  'Maybe he is really nice, no one has ever done this for me,' she thought.

  Her excitement was short lived. When they returned to the room, he made her sit on his lap and said, "Now, you must thank me."

  'How can I ever make it home to Papa after all the things I have done. Nobody would want such rubbish,' thought the girl to herself.

  When the captive heard the door open, she quickly rubbed her face into the covers to wipe her tears away. When left alone earlier, with a repeated warning that she should not leave, he had announced he would be back after breakfast. Her hands had been tied to the bedpost with the hotel robe belt, a plush affair for the comfort of the guests. Even without the belt, she knew it was pointless to escape. She had tried before only to be found and beaten to an inch of her life, the soles of her feet burnt with cigarette butts.

  Instead of the old man, Amita saw a lady with bright red hair and white skin. Quickly, the girl closed her eyes and prepared for whatever else was to come. Maybe the old man had sent someone else to use her.

  Every ounce of shock already knocked out her body at the sight before her, Cathy approached the bed and gingerly touched Amita's face.

  "Hey, it's time to go," she whispered gently.

  Amita's eyes shot open not sure if this was really good news or if the devil had just picked a different attire for today.

  "Wh...att? Madam, you do not understand," her feeble voice spoke.

  "No, I do. I will take you out of here and someone will come help you. But you must hurry."

  Cathy undid the bindings of the girl. She was disgusted at the different uses their bathrobes offered their guests. She then ransacked some of the bags as Amita sat up, still dazed and wondered if it was all a dream.

  "Here, go change. There is no time to talk, we must go before he comes back."

  As the redhead waited at the door, the young prisoner hurriedly put her clothes on and walked towards her rescuer. Overwhelmed with emotion the girl knelt and touched Cathy's feet with her hands.

  "Thank you, thank you," she sobbed.

  Cathy pulled her up, hugged her tightly and wiped the tears from her face.

  "Sshhhh ... stop crying. You must be a brave girl for a few more minutes. He will not see you, I promise. Come now."

  They made their way through the back elevators, down to the parking bays where as promised, Sheila was waiting with a car and a relieved smile.

  "Oh Cathy, we cannot thank you enough." Cathy hugged both of them quickly. She closed the car door once Amita was seated. A tear trickled down her cheek.

  "Don't thank me Sheila, just make sure she stays safe. Hurry! Go!"

  Once a few more words of gratitude and concern were uttered, the car sped off. Cathy watched, took a deep breath and muttered as she found her way back to the hotel lobby, "God help us all, what was he thinking? What is the world coming to? The poor thing was only fourteen years old."

  QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA

  August 2007

  Known to many as The Sunshine State, Queensland is Australia's second largest state and lives by the motto “Bold but Faithful”. Named in honour of Queen Victoria, the state was first populated more than forty thousand years ago. Before the British discovered large sections of it, it had been explored by the Portuguese, Dutch, French and even the infamous Captain James Cook was said to have left a mark in this state's colourful history. It is home to more than four million people. Queensland has gained international recognition for housing eight universities and eight wildlife parks which also serve to protect animals in danger of extinction.

  In sports, the island has made its mark with the Brisbane Broncos being one the best teams in the National Rugby League. Alongside this achievement, six gold medals were awarded to Queensland swimmers in the 2004 Olympics.

  Tourism has always been one of the leading sources of income for this state alongside agricultural industries including bananas, pineapples and peanuts.

  Brisbane is also the state’s capital and boasts five world renowned amusement parks. The "Gold Coast of Queensland" is also referred to as "Australia's Theme Park Capital". Aside from the numerous man-made creations and its rich culture, Queensland's tourism has an attraction that is one of a kind in the form of the Great Barrier Reef. It has been labelled as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. With more than two thousand individual reefs and nine hundred islands spread over a span of more than two thousand kilometres, it offers divers and tourists a spectacular view.

  Tucked away between al
l of nature's finery, lay the MoonStar Queensland located adjacent to Coolangatta Street. Nearing the long weekend the street was already congested with holiday makers trying to make the most of their time.

  On a reclining chair in the lobby, Cathy stretched out her legs. With an endless queue at the check-in counter and being a fellow MoonStar associate, she knew she would be the last person to be checked-in. Guests first. She noted with interest that the lethargic associates at the counter were infuriating the waiting guests as the minutes ticked by. The female associates were busy giggling and tucking their hair behind their ears. The male associates were busy watching the girls giggling and tucking their hair. Needless to say, speed was a much desired trait in the lobby. And yet, this was Moonstar's premiere five-star beach resort. As with any other property, there were complaints in the past but recently, the complaints had a different tone. No longer was it guests complaining about the resort's service or associates, numerous complaints came from associates about their own General Manager, Dieter Deppe.

  Comments were made about his erratic behaviour, repeated racist remarks to non-European associates and unwarranted complimentary room nights for "special guests". At least five complaints indicated these guests were Deppe's love interests. One complaint got tucked away as a disgruntled associate, two complaints were viewed as collaborating associates with too much time on their hands but more than ten complaints warranted investigation or at the very least provided enough justification for Corporate Office to start making inquiries.

  Watching Deppe stomp into the lobby, she was not certain whether he had spotted her. His receding hairline and protruding beer belly made her hide a smile at what women actually saw in him, if the rumours of his numerous love interests were true. But looks aside, power can be a huge attraction to those who desire it.

  The few sharp words he uttered at the check-in counter were effective enough to speed things along. He took his time to greet each waiting guest and made sure they had their welcome drink and cold towel, a standard MoonStar welcome greeting for all guests.

  Eventually he made his way to her and she stood up. "Ah, Ms. Dixon. Welcome, once again."

  His German accent was obvious despite eleven years in Australia. Giving him a warm smile, Cathy listened as he quickly gave her an update about the pick up in room nights and property activities. It never ceased to amuse Cathy that the minute properties heard the words "Corporate Office" all they thought about were room night achievements. It was an area of concern for her but reputation and what the property reflected to the outside world meant more to her. What guests saw, heard, felt and passed on about a MoonStar property were her ultimate concerns. Nevertheless, she listened as he provided detailed revenue changes for the resort.

  Deppe saw Cathy glancing at the slow moving crowd and realised this was disaster in the making. He did not need this bit of information dragged back to Corporate Office, he was desperate for a distraction. Deppe gestured for her to have a drink with him. As they made their way across the tastefully decorated lobby, the soothing piped in flute music was marred by a loud "clickety clack" on the marble floor. The source of the sound was the resort's Director of Sales and Marketing Yolanda Simms who greeted them with an exaggerated smile. With familiarity that did not go unnoticed, she gently put her hand on Deppe's shoulder as they discussed a room upgrade for a guest arriving in December.

  Cathy observed the body language and wondered if the complaints were true after all. Simms was rumoured as one of his love interests and seeing them together, she could not tell immediately and refused to guess. Yet, room upgrades were usually handled by secretaries, Sales Managers or even the Public Relations Manager, all of which this resort had. It did not need a Director of Sales and Marketing prancing about the property in extremely high heels looking for the General Manager.

  With a light squeeze to Simms' shoulder, Deppe ended the conversation. He glanced at Cathy. Simms made her way to Cathy offering an artificial embrace then took the opportunity to invite herself to join them for the drink. Even as they sipped at their coffee, Cathy could not help but notice the nasty stares the associates at The Ocean Cafe offered Deppe and Simms when they were not looking. When they excused themselves to go back to their offices, Cathy stayed behind using the fresh air as an excuse to gather her thoughts. A Front Office associate approached her with a room key and informed her that her luggage had been sent to the room.

  Even as Cathy made her way to the drink counter to speak to the associates there, she was approached by a Housekeeping associate who looked harried and spoke with a loud whisper.

  "It's just not right, I tell you, he's married. But in and out, he has so many women." She shook her head and quickly squeezed Cathy's hand. "I know you're here to make things better. Thank you," she urgently whispered as she hurried away.

  Years before when only just starting out in the hotel industry, Cathy learnt that the best way to insider information in any hotel were two sets of people, Housekeeping and Concierge. Even though they made painstaking efforts to stay invisible and unappreciated, they would put any Head of Department to shame with their updated information about personnel and guests.

  Cathy made her way to her room and was greeted with a sealed brown envelope on the bed. 'Strange,' she thought. Targets were never assigned so quickly and when they were, it was always delivered directly, ensuring no one else had the opportunity to intercept the message.

  Trembling a little, she opened the envelope and then took a deep breath. It was good news for her but not so much for Dieter Deppe.

  ”Ah,” she muttered, “it’s not an assignment.”

  Someone had carefully watched and snapped pictures of him in various locations in the main town area with Yolanda Simms. Pictures of them leaving a motel, having breakfast at the local Starbucks and snapshots of him with other women were in the envelope. She suspected they must have used a mobile phone as the pictures were small and blurry. However, the faces of the people in them were clear enough. Cathy emptied the contents of the envelope and counted twenty-six pictures. There was no letter or any indication of who had sent it but was certain that more than one associate was involved. After glancing through each one, she placed them back in the envelope and sat down on the edge of the bed.

  Unable to ignore this behavior any longer, she had to act on it. Corporate values preached honesty and trustworthiness not to mention strong family values. If these values went unpracticed by the General Manager of a property, the place was definitely in bad shape regardless how high their average room rate was.

  Without a doubt, it was Deppe's ingenuity and skill in the five years he ran it that had placed this resort in the limelight. It had even won several awards. But when you lose the respect of three hundred people working for you, very little good came of it. Any property, small or big thrived only when the cohesiveness between all departments blended together. Something had to be done and Cathy needed to get the wheels turning.

  For now, she needed to get ready and explore the city for a good meal. She had requested a rental car to be waiting for her at 6:00 p.m. Unless necessary, it was her practice to have dinner outside the property she inspected. It gave her a chance to experience the destination while giving herself a breath of fresh air from work.

  As she thought about how she would break the news to Deppe, she felt a little tug at her emotions when she thought about his wife. She had little background information about him but knew that he was married for twenty years to the same woman and had one daughter. They still lived in Perth which had been his last posting because of their daughter's schooling. Now to have this hurled at them, it was going to be a huge blow for the family. Perhaps problems already existed and this was his way out. As far as she knew, Simms was single.

  'Sticky stuff,' Cathy thought, as she finished her shower and got ready for an evening out.

  At a local restaurant down the road, Cathy had a good meal of surf and turf. She was famished and could have just ordered a
nother main course but decided on dessert instead. She glanced around the restaurant which was less crowded now. Two couples who seemed very much in love had finished their food but lingered in small talk. The rest of the world could have been blown to pieces for all they cared, they only had eyes for each other. Cathy wondered if in twenty years they would be feeling the same way.

  'How do you fall out of love?' she thought.

  Everybody had their recipe for falling in love but few realised when love went flying out their window into someone else's arms.

  Here, she was being given the impossible task of ending a marriage or would this be a means for its survival? She took a deep breath, paid her bill and swung the door open to leave. And then she saw them.

  As if she did not have enough proof, Dieter Deppe and Yolanda Simms came out of the restaurant on the opposite corner of the road. Just like the couples inside, they too seemed to have eyes only for each other. Holding on tightly, they kissed passionately as he opened the car door to let her in. Then when both car doors were closed, Cathy saw them at it again. Kissing, locked in a tight embrace and as their car drove past her, she saw Simms leaning on his shoulder and Cathy knew, this was the end of his career in MoonStar Queensland.