After leaving the restroom, I walk over to the soft drinks section and grab a Coke. I glance at some other snacks displayed, and decide on a bag of chips. Hopefully the caffeine will kick in and help ease the dull pain of my headache still lingering from the previous night. I grab a travel size package of ibuprofen and place everything on the counter. I pull out the wad of cash I have shoved in my front pocket, oblivious as one of the bills falls from my pocket to the floor. I hand the guy behind the counter a twenty. As he is giving me the change, I nod and thank him, never glancing towards the ground.
“You must be new around here. Never seen you before.” The guy says to me.
“Yeah, you could say I’m new here. Looks like a pretty nice place.” I answer him, grabbing the bag containing my purchases and head for the door. How the hell am I supposed to know if this is a nice place or not? I’ve only been here a short time, and it was dark when I first came into town. It’s not like I could have really seen anything.
I really don’t feel like talking to anyone, I just want to take the medicine and hope it eases this headache.
I get back into my car and straighten the pillow, before laying back the seat. The pillow still had a distinctive perfume smell that reminds me of Macy, but I quickly push any thought of her from my mind and drift off to sleep almost immediately. Right now, I just want to get rid of this stubborn headache.
I’m jolted awake from the sound, I assume, of a car door being slammed. Rubbing my eyes, I sit up in the seat and glance around me. For a moment, I don’t recognize where I am. The sun is shining bright, and I really wish I could remember where I left my sunglasses. I notice a couple getting into the car parked beside me, so I glance in my rearview mirror, pretending to be looking for something, not wanting to draw attention to myself.
While looking in my mirror, I notice a girl in her early twenties or so, walk out of the hotel entrance, and head towards the parking lot. She must work here, I think to myself. While I follow her in the mirror, I see she glances towards my car while shaking her head, and I slide down in the seat hoping she doesn’t notice me. The last thing I need is for someone to start asking me any questions.
After a few seconds, when I feel it’s safe, I sit back up in my seat and watch as the car she got into pulls out of the parking lot and disappears into the flow of traffic.
I look around then rub my face. “Well, well Brian, let’s see what you can get into today?”
It’s kind of nice not having to be anywhere at any certain time or answering to anyone. With nothing better to do, I lock the car up and start walking down the street.
I wake up some time in the middle of the afternoon. At first, I think it’s later in the evening than what it actually is because the room is dark instead of light, but then I hear rain drops falling outside. Funny how the sun was bright and shining this morning when I left work, but now it’s so gloomy and drab. This definitely makes for a great afternoon to stay inside and watch some television. I don’t have any classes today, so I just decide to take it easy and relax around my apartment. Working nights sometimes confuses me, and I often have to check the calendar on my phone just to know what day it is.
I glance over at my phone for any missed calls or texts, and find nothing. I fix a bite to eat and grab the remote from the coffee table. An hour of channel surfing goes by, and I decide to do some laundry before getting ready to go back to work tonight. I am very fortunate to have my own washer and dryer in my apartment unit. It’s so much more convenient being able to do my laundry any time I need to, instead of having to haul everything to the Laundromat.
I call Rebecca at work to see how things are going. I hate that she has to work the three to ten shift alone, but at least we are able to catch up for a few minutes when I arrive for my own shift at ten.
“Please tell me that car has finally moved from my parking spot,” I say while laughing. It’s funny that the car has become somewhat of a joke between us.
“Actually, Jenn, it’s still here. I noticed it when I arrived earlier this afternoon. I should probably check our computer records and see if there is anyone staying multiple nights who gave that vehicle description.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I joke.
“Well, from the looks of it, it should be towed. I don’t know how that clunker made it here in the first place,” Rebecca says.
“Well, make sure it’s gone by the time I come in tonight; I want to be able to park in my spot again. Let me know if you need me to bring you anything. I’ll see you in a little while,” I tell her as I hang up the phone.
I run a tub full of hot water, adding a little bubble bath, and soak for a few minutes. As the water starts to cool, I turn on the shower to wash my hair. By the time I’m finished, my fingers are all wrinkled.
I dress for work in my typical hotel attire: red polo shirt with the hotel logo on the front, and khaki pants. I allow myself plenty of time to get there should I get stuck behind another slow driver again tonight. It’s Friday night, so traffic will be heavier on the highway, but I make sure I arrive on time. Punctuality was a valuable lesson I learned from my parents.
I turn into the hotel parking lot and sure enough, the silver Honda is still parked in my spot. By the looks of it, I honestly don’t think that the car has been moved all day. Grrr, I think to myself as I pull into the vacant spot beside it.
Looking over at the Honda, even though it’s dark, I see that the car appears to be empty. I grab all of my things from the front seat and head inside.
Walking into the hotel office, I speak to Rebecca and put my things away. “Jeez Rebecca, I thought you were going to make sure that car was gone.” We both laugh.
“I checked our records and couldn’t find any guests registered to stay multiple nights using that vehicle description. Maybe someone is just passing through to visit family and decided to leave their car here.”
“Oh well, it’s not like it’s going to make it too much farther down the road anyway, judging by the looks of it.”
“You will probably look up later on tonight and see it’s gone and never get the opportunity to tell the driver how you feel about them taking your spot. Maybe I should get you a ‘Jennifer’s parking spot’ sign for Christmas in case something like this happens again.” Rebecca jokes as she gathers her things, ready to call it a night.
“Looks like Night Moves is the happening place tonight.” I say, as we both look out the window towards the music that’s blaring from the club next door.
“Yeah, a big bus pulled in earlier this afternoon. Must be a popular band playing tonight. The parking lot filled up quick and the outside noise has been louder than usual. Be good and don’t sneak away from work to go partying.”
I look over at her with a smile on my face and laugh, “Maybe Mr. Silver Honda will show up, he’ll be drop dead gorgeous, and we’ll go party together. Wishful thinking, huh? Have a good night, girl.”
Rebecca walks out the door to her car as several guests are arriving to check in. Many of our guests are travelers just stopping off for the night since Morgantown is so close to the state line. But, occasionally we do get guests who are in town for business or working construction who stay multiple nights.
“Your room number is 311.” I smile and pass the room key over to the older gentleman and his wife who are checking in. “If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to call down to the front office. Our breakfast begins at six a.m. Enjoy your stay.”
I check in a few more guests and realize time has flown by; it’s already after midnight. I like to keep busy, checking in guests and doing my paperwork, as it makes the time go by quickly; but when everything has been completed for the night, or the rooms are already filled, that’s when time seems to drag. Often times I read my book and just watch the clock while waiting for Sylvia to show up at five.
I glance outside and notice a police car in the parking lot. It’s not unusual to see a patrol car ride through, just to check on things
, especially with Night Moves being next door. There have been occasional bar fights, but for the most part, the club owner has anyone who gets out of control escorted out by the bouncers and business continues as usual. The owner doesn’t like to draw any unnecessary attention towards the bar, so he likes to tend to things himself without involving the cops.
The patrol car turns its lights on, so I get up and walk quickly to the door. I notice it stop next to the silver Honda and my car. The sliding doors to the hotel open as I walk towards them, and I step out onto the porch, curious to see what’s going on near the cars. Two officers walk around the silver car, shining their lights inside. I knew there was something about that car that made me uneasy. A few minutes pass by, and I see one of the policemen talking to someone inside the car.
Suddenly, chills run down my arms. I don’t usually get scared being in the hotel at night, especially since there is a security guard who patrols the club parking lot, and another one across street at the convenience store. Both are usually quick to investigate anything that appears abnormal. I pay close attention to the officers and notice one of them starts escorting a young man towards the hotel. I remain on the patio as the other officer pulls the patrol control car up through the covered porch of the hotel and slows to a stop beside me. I recognize the officer, not only from his frequent patrols here at the hotel, but from knowing my parents as well.
“Hey Mr. Benson. What’s going on over there?” I ask him.
“Evening. Nothing to worry about, Jennifer. Someone called in saying they noticed movement in a car in the parking lot. Thought maybe someone had gone into the club and left their kids out in the car,” he explains to me. “Turns out, this guy is just passing through. He got low on gas and couldn’t get his credit card to work at the pump. He tried to get ahold of someone earlier tonight to wire him some cash, but hasn’t been able to reach anyone. Thought he could take a nap until morning then get his credit card issue resolved.”
“Oh, okay. Well that would explain things.”
“We ran his plates and the car’s not registered to him, but to someone he claims is his brother. He’s got no proof of insurance but says he can get it from his brother in the morning. I’m going to cut him some slack, but he’s got ‘til morning to have the car moved before we tow it.”
“Thanks Mr. Benson, for checking on things,” I tell him, not wanting to share with him that this is the second night in a row the car has been parked in the same spot.
The other officer, whom I don’t recognize, walks up to me and asks if the guy from the Honda can use our phone.
“Sure, let me go behind the desk and I’ll put it on the counter.” I tell the officer.
I make eye contact with Mr. Honda, curious to finally associate a person with the mysterious car, and see he is actually not bad looking, not bad looking at all. While he’s not what I pictured the owner to look like, he’s definitely got potential. His clothes look a little sloppy, but considering he’s been asleep in them, it would explain why they are all wrinkled. He looks to be close to my age with dark, almost black hair, and gorgeous, piercing blue eyes. He looks over at me with a slightly crooked smile. He’s got a thin build and is probably a good six feet tall. Not at all what I would have pictured driving that car.
“Hey, do you mind if I use your phone?” He asks me, and I can see that he feels awkward being in the company of police officers.
“Here, go right ahead.” I hand him the phone and walk back over to the officers, allowing him some privacy.
I glance over at him and watch as he punches numbers into the phone. I never see him actually say anything, and I start to feel bad for the guy, since it’s obvious he hasn’t been able to reach anyone.
After several minutes, Officer Benson turns towards the guy and asks if he’s had any luck contacting someone.
“No, no one seems to be answering.” He says. “I’m sure I will be able to reach my brother first thing in the morning though. He and his wife are probably just out for the night.”
“Son, I need to know that you are going to have this car moved by the morning.” I can tell by Officer Benson’s tone he’s getting a little aggravated with the situation.
“Just give me ‘til morning, and I promise I will be out of here.”
I decide to speak up. “If it’s okay with everyone, I can give him a few bucks. I don’t mind helping out.”
The guy looks over at me, then turns to the cops. I can see the relief show on his face just by hearing my offer. I walk back behind the counter and pull my purse out of the drawer. Luckily, I’ve got a twenty on me that had recently come in the mail from my parents.
“Here, consider it a gift,” I say, as I hand the money to him.
“Thanks, I really appreciate it. More than you know.” He tells me as our eyes lock together for a brief moment.
Hoping to settle this ordeal, the officers escort him outside, and I continue to watch him as he climbs inside his car. Once I see his car lights come on, I turn and walk back behind the counter, slightly disappointed my mystery car is leaving.
It’s been an interesting night to say the least. I can’t wait to share the events with Rebecca tomorrow.
Damn, I think to myself as I pull out of the hotel parking lot. Those officers were being jackasses.
I’m thankful they believed my credit card story, especially since no one in their right mind would give me credit, but I feel kind of bad taking money from the girl at the hotel. Even though I don’t have a lot of money left, I’m glad she spoke up to help me out. It was bad enough I pretended to be calling someone, but I sure as hell hated lying about it, especially in front of her.
Not wanting to really go anywhere in the middle of the night, to keep the cops off my back, I drive around for a little while, making a mental note of certain places. I notice lightning fill the sky off in the distance, and figure there must be a rainstorm approaching town. I pull into a twenty-four hour fast food place and park my car in an area that appears to be designated for employees. I don’t want to draw any more attention to myself, and I sure as hell don’t need the cops questioning me again. Moments later, the drops starts to fall and a steady rain settles in for the rest of the night. My car windows begin to fog so I lay the seat back hoping to get more comfortable. I don’t think anyone walking by my car would be able to see inside now, so I grab the pillow again, and I’m sound asleep in no time.
The next morning, I drive back to the convenience store across the street from the hotel parking lot. I’m not sure why I chose to come back here, unless, of course, I think I might catch a glance of the hotel attendant again. While she appeared to be friendly enough, I’m just thankful she came to my rescue. The rain has stopped, but there is still a dreariness looming in the sky. I buy myself some toothpaste and a toothbrush. I can’t believe I forgot to grab mine from the apartment before I left, but there’s nothing worse than waking up with morning breath. I go into the bathroom and splash my face with water from the sink. It’s icy cold, but just what I need to wake me up on this drab morning. After brushing my teeth, I comb my fingers through my hair and put my cap back on. “Won’t be winning any beauty contests this week,” I smile and say out loud to myself, noting I sure could use a haircut.
Walking back to the counter, I purchase an orange juice and grab a snack cake. Not exactly the breakfast of champions, but it’s cheap and just enough to get me going this morning. “So what’s there to get into in this town?” I ask the lady behind the counter.
“I’m afraid there’s not too much going on right now.” She replies; “You just passing through?”
“Actually I’m relocating, and this place caught my attention. I’m getting kind of low on cash and thought there might be a few jobs available.”
“Got a construction crew down the road a little ways working on the new mall being built. Going to be quite a few stores in it, I believe. They might be looking for some help.” She suggests.
“All right. I m
ight head down that way and check it out. Thanks. By the way, my name’s Brian.” I tell her. “Nice to meet you.”
“As you can see by my name tag here, I’m Maggie. Welcome to Morgantown, Brian. I wish you luck while you’re here.” She extends her hand to me, and I turn to leave the store. One thing is for certain, while the cops might not be friendly here, there’s at least two people I’ve met so far who seem genuine, this lady and the girl at the hotel.
I walk out to the sidewalk and glance around. Across the street, I notice the hotel parking lot is emptying as people are checking out and continuing on their travels out of town. A sudden loud noise catches me off guard. A garbage truck is collecting trash from a big dumpster behind the club next to the hotel parking lot, close to where I had parked my car last night.
Goodness. I look over at my car before getting back in, and notice how run down and ragged it looks. Even now, I can still hear in my head my ex harping on me to wash it and clean up the inside. It embarrassed her so bad that any time she and I would go somewhere together, she would insist we always take her car. Spoiled bitch. The more I think back on our relationship, I wonder what I ever saw in her in the first place.
I pull out a fresh t-shirt from my bag in the backseat and change. This one smells much better. I check the pockets of my jeans and count the money I have left, just to have an idea of how long it might last. I check my pockets again, front and back, this time digging a little deeper.
Don't Turn Back (Coming Home Book 1) Page 3