Whiplash Hotel

by Christine Crean

  ‘Just like that’

  ‘I don’t buy it!

  ‘What’s not to buy’ cried Amy, not understanding her friend.

  ‘Well it’s just that I know you Amy. You are very careful. Even in Tesco you will walk the aisle ten times before you’ll pick up what you need. You are meticulous and since I’ve known you, you’re not the type to make a mistake. You wouldn’t just let this happen if subconsciously you didn’t want it to’

  ‘Mmmm’ Amy wasn’t sure if she was right or wrong but Liz was fairly on the money about the way she took extreme care when it came to decisions. For once, she hadn’t over thought things and look how well that turned out!

  ‘Well, look what’s done is done now. You can’t change what’s happened. If I were you, I would take time out to figure out what I really wanted. Do you know who you want to be with?

  ‘Jesus, I don’t even know if either wants me now anyway?’

  ‘That’s not what I asked pet. I don’t mean to be blunt but you need to pull your head out of your ass for a minute’

  Amy’s eyes widened at her choice of words.

  ‘Now look. You obviously have a connection with Sean. No judgment there!’ lied Liz ‘You’ve been friends for years and have flirted your way from here to Dublin…True?’

  ‘True’ Amy blushed at the truth and even more so, thinking of the things Sean had done to her. Maybe she and Sean had a chance. Then again, she thought she and Adam had something special. God damn that fucker Frank! He had made a royal mess of her head. Yes, she would blame him. If he hadn’t turned her life upside down and created a big rotten mess in the first place, she wouldn’t have gotten herself into this predicament.

  ‘You don’t have to make your mind up how you feel right now. Either way we’re heading away in a few weeks. It will give you perfect breathing room and space to figure out what you really want. Both of them will be here when you get back’

  ‘They might not be….’

  ‘They will…’ Liz was sure they would be. It had been clear to Liz a few months back in the hospital waiting room during that horrible night, how both men felt about her. Both were in an awful way, praying to God that she would be ok. Liz knew sincerely that both men loved her. How could they not. She was the nicest person Liz had ever met in her life. Amy would give anyone anything without hesitating. She was honest and careful of everyone’s feelings, except her own. She would never think twice at putting herself out and always put everyone else before herself. Amy deserved happiness and Liz hoped upon hope that she would get it. She had a sneaking suspicion that happiness was indeed just around the corner for her. She could feel it in her waters.

  19

  On the drive into work, Amy peered at herself in the mirror. Her eyes circled with black lines from lack of sleep looked bloodshot. If she hadn’t been out so long on sick leave already, she would definitely be positioning herself on the couch for the day. No such luxury. On the upside, she had only a few weeks of work before herself and Liz would be winging their way to New York. Without doubt, the events of the past weekend had put a damper on her impending time away. As Liz had said, she should figure out what she actually wanted. If both Sean and Adam had changed their minds in the mean time she would deal with that but right now, she needed to take stock of her life. The past six months had seen her life turn upside down in so many different ways.

  ‘How I’m still sane and not on medication for my mental state I’ll never know’ she said aloud, stuck in traffic. Giving herself a mental slap, she declared she would use this coming month, ironically the last month of the year, to get herself back on track and make a new start for the New Year. Whether that involved a man was not up to her but secretly she hoped that once the new year came, she would not be alone.

  Walking into the office Amy did get a few double takes. Keeping her eyes on the floor, she made her way to the office hoping not to bump into Sean. With her stomach doing a flip at the thought of him, she scurried into the toilet to gather herself. Redoing her makeup and brushing her hair Amy eyed herself in the mirror. Hoping that it was her imagination, she felt and looked like she had aged ten years since she last looked in the mirror. Smoothing her skirt, she raised her head high and took a deep breath. She was well able to do this. Breath in, breath out. Hands by her side, she charged out of the ladies and into Sean who was walking by the very moment she was coming out.

  ‘Shit, sorry’ she was mortified hoping he didn’t hear her talking to herself.

  ‘No, no, I’m sorry’ Sean’s speech slowing when he realized it was Amy.

  ‘Hi’

  ‘Hi’ she repeated

  Both not knowing what to say they turned in opposite directions. Sean showing his evident happiness to see her, walked on still looking behind him. He smiled at her while she made a hasty retreat to her office. This was the first time she had seen him since Saturday. He had called her numerous times but afraid to talk to him and not knowing what to even say she didn’t answer. He text her too.

  ‘I hope that you are ok. I had such a nice time and I’m not sorry about what happened. I am sorry if I put you in an awkward position. The last thing I want to do is hurt you. Please call me…’

  She attempted to do both but deleted the text message and hung up before she dialed his number. What was the point in saying anything if she didn’t know how she felt either way. Adam on the other hand, didn’t call at all. She was glad in a way. There was no way she could even look at him. Thinking of his face crumpled in anger, her heart nearly closed in on itself. She loved the thought of a life with Adam even though his family were crazy, she knew that he was a wonderful human being. The months she had spent with him felt like longer. Little wonder Adam was so angry. They had created a bond between them that some people worked years to achieve.

  The years of friendship with Sean on the other side of the coin formed a real basis for a relationship. They knew each other backwards and forwards. Sean had told her he loved her. Did she love him?

  ‘In my office now!’ Tom tore her from her daydream with a start as he stuck his head in her door. He was charging around the office full of business, having decided to come back early from his holiday. In no doubt with one of his hussies, he was full of gusto, pretending to give a damn about what was going on. He always did this after coming back to work.

  ‘Is everything ok?’ she pretended to worry.

  ‘Well no, it’s not now is it. But you would know that if you decided to open your emails more than once every two weeks’

  He stormed away again leaving a trail of some cheap musk in his absence. He may as well have taken a bath in it. Wondering what he could be talking about, she opened her computer and scanned the unopened emails. On closer inspection, there was one from a disgruntled client. The client, who happened to be a major key account, the same client they were supposed to meet in Ballinasloe on Friday. Balls. They had sent an email to Tom saying how put out they were having driven half way across the country to be told at the last minute that the two of his representatives couldn’t be bothered to show up! They went on to say, they only called at the very last minute, some excuse about a car. Balls. If they were to, in future require the assistance of a recruitment company they would not be using ‘your particular inadequate, unorganized and laughable firm’. Fock.

  ‘We’re screwed. Did you read the email?’

  It was Sean’s turn to stick his head through the door.

  ‘Jesus, I did. He’s going to kill us!’ the apprehension of earlier now gone.

  ‘You know as well as I do, the reason they’re pissed at us is because Tom has rubbed them up the wrong way before’ he whispered loudly pointing his finger in the direction of Tom’s office.

  ‘Well you know that and I know that but tell that gobshite out there!’ Amy was not looking forward to the impending battle with her overpowering boss.

  ‘What the hell is going on? I go away for a few days and when I come back you two fools dig my business in
to the ground’

  ‘Sorry but…’ Sean tried to stop him.

  ‘That was not a question, it was a statement’ He was not going to listen to either of them. Amy had, in the past, been afraid of Tom and the way in which he dominated both a conversation and the entire room. She was sick of the way in which she and each of her colleagues were treated. All of them worked their behinds off to make sure that the work was done. He continued to rant and rave. Telling them that they were two of the most incompetent employees ever to grace his presence. He knew a few fifteen year olds apparently, who could do a better job. In fact he knew a few monkeys who would better!

  Amy’s temper was flaring at this point. Sean stood staring at his feet looking up only to be shot down again. He tried to stick up for the both of them but to no avail. It didn’t matter that they had put in a sixty hour week. No, they had taken off early and to what.

  ‘It’s like this…I’ve done enough for the pair of ye!’ Amy…well need I say more? I have done my utmost for you especially with your break up and all…’

  Amy could not contain herself anymore.

  ‘Excuse me Tom, but if you would like to stop talking for one minute and listen to even one word either of us have to say then you might actually find out what really happened and why this particular client is unhappy’

  Amy remained the picture of calm while inside she burned with fury.

  His face was a picture at the interruption. No one ever interrupted Tom.

  ‘Pardon Me!’ He retaliated.

  ‘No, PARDON ME’ she raised her voice an octave ‘Do you care at all that your business is being run solely on the wit and hard work of your employees? Or, do you care about anything but yourself, your twenty five girlfriends, your Mercedes and making sure you smoke more than you sit your big fat hairy arse on that chair and do a bit of work?’

  Tom and Sean were both speechless, looking at her with open mouths. She was on a roll now.

  ‘As for the manner in which you treat each and every one of us, it is appalling to say the least. Don’t even think about trying to fire me Tom because do you know what?’ she laughed because she was happy at the thought of what she was doing ‘I quit!’ She bellowed ‘Oh…and another thing….I will be requiring a severance package. Oh yes, and in case you even think about denying me, I will run to my solicitor so fast it will make your head spin and I will hit you so hard with a law suit, which I will win, might I add. I believe they call it…what’s it Sean?’

  She looked up at him pretending not to remember the term, ‘Oh yes, that’s it…SEXUAL HARASSMENT. To tell you the truth, I’m sure if I were to go ahead and do it…a number of other lady employee’s will probably follow suit’

  Amy eyed Tom, her eyes now narrow and firm. Tom’s tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth, unable to speak at the display in front of him. He had never been spoken to in this manner, all his time in business.

  ‘Now if you will excuse me. I have an office to clean out. Good bye, good luck and God speed’

  Both men looked at each other. Wondering if what had happened was actually real. Excusing himself, Sean ran after Amy following her to her office. At this point, the whole office had come to a standstill. They had heard the complete conversation from beginning to end each of them trying to hide their joy at what they had just witnessed.

  ‘Ah, what in the hell was that?’ Sean laughed his face full of shock and delight all at once.

  ‘I have no idea’ she smirked shaking from what she had just done. She was beginning to think she was a loose cannon.

  ‘I’ll probably regret it tomorrow when I realize that I have no job, but right now I really couldn’t care less. I’ve been dreaming about doing that since the day I started here’

  ‘You and everyone else here’ he agreed ‘but seriously you haven’t thought this through. What are you going to do?’

  ‘Well Sean, I’m going to go home for a few weeks and figure out, by myself, what I want from my life. Then, I will go to New York with one of my good friends to spend a pile of money I don't have on shit I don't need whilst drinking my way through one of the best cities in the world'

  Sean knew she meant business and that she wasn’t just talking about quitting her job. Without saying it, she was letting him know that she had a lot to decide.

  ‘I see’ he smiled. There was no way he was going to push her. He knew without doubt that she was very aware of how he felt about her. He had made that clear a few days ago. The ball was definitely in her court.

  ‘Sean, I hope you’ll be here when I get back. I need to talk to you but first I need some breathing space to clear my head and work out where I see myself’

  Sean nodded his agreement. He was in no position to start making demands after her antics in Tom’s office a few minutes ago. He knew that she would make the right decision for her even if that meant he could be left behind.

  20

  After spending time at home for the following weeks, Amy had never felt quite so relieved and happy. She knew she would need to look for a new job but for the moment she was happy to be alive. She had some savings, so wasn't in a hurry to take the first job that popped up. As promised, Sean left her to it and didn't call or text. Adam's lack of contact, although not prompted by Amy, was also welcomed. She needed the space.

  Before Amy knew it, the time had come for their trip. The ride to the airport, was mostly silent, filled with the sound of the radio in the background. Liz’s best time of the day was not early mornings. She had informed Amy not to expect the jumping joys when she got her up at four thirty to drive to the airport. Since their flight was at nine and it took over an hour to get to Shannon airport from Amy’s house, they got in the car at 5am. That meant having everything ready to go the night before and was not a problem for either of them. Liz had brought an empty suitcase ready to be filled with the delights of a shopping spree to one of the most famous shopping capitals in the world. Amy on the other hand was looking for something one probably couldn’t find in a department store. The answers to a lot of questions, which she doubted she would pick up in a bargain basement! Thoughts of the night before swirled like an uncontrollable storm in her head as she listened to Liz snore while random songs played on the radio. Drinking tea and eating biscuits much to the disgust of Liz, who had been hoping for a bottle of wine, both girls sat on the couch discussing the past week’s events.

  Having nearly gone through a whole packet of Kimberly’s, they debated whether it was worth it to go to the corner shop for a few more munchies. Too lazy to budge, they ordered in and went about their business primping and pruning for the morning. After arguing over whether it was necessary to tan themselves up for a winter trip where they would be covered head to toe, a knock came to the door.

  ‘It can’t be the delivery man, we haven’t even ordered yet’

  ‘No shit Sherlock’ Liz replied, rolling her eyes to heaven.

  ‘Funny’ Amy replied sarcastically

  Making her way to the hall, she found Adam standing in front of her when she opened the door.

  ‘Adam’ she was taken aback to say the least. She thought that she had seen the last of him a few weeks before.

  ‘Hi Amy’ he stood there with a sad look on his face ‘I wanted to call you but I thought it would be better to come in person’

  ‘Well, come in then’ Amy didn’t know what to say to him. He looked tired and withdrawn. Seeming relatively calm and composed, she had no doubt he was still hurting.

  ‘You know that I’m heading away in the morning?’

  ‘Yeah, yeah. That’s why I wanted to come over. I wasn’t going to but I had a few things that I needed you to hear’

  Amy nodded knowing that on her part she had nothing to say. She had no excuses or wasn’t even going to try to explain away what had happened. She was truly sorry for what she had happened and vowed never to hurt another human being in such a way again.

  ‘You don’t have to say anything’ he put up a ha
nd to demonstrate he was serious ‘but Amy when I met you I knew that there was something really special about you. You radiate joy and are beautiful in a way that’s hard to describe. I’m sorry for what has happened and I know that you are too. That time when you were in the accident. I saw how Sean nearly broke when we all thought the worst. He was grief-stricken when you were close to death. I never said it to you before because I didn’t want to sound like the jealous boyfriend but I knew then what I know now. He loves you Amy. And for some reason I think you love him right back’

  He didn’t want to look at her directly but he kept on speaking. Amy sat on the couch with one hand on top of the other. She was almost afraid to breathe as she watched him, words tumbling out of his mouth. In slow motion, she looked around her living room. If the walls could talk.

  Liz, sitting in the kitchen, hearing everything, felt like she was in an episode of coronation street.

  ‘That’s not to say Amy that you don’t love me too’ he continued ‘I think you do. But….’ He started to stutter ‘but you can’t love two of us…you just can’t’

  A tear formed at the side of her right eye. He was right. She did love them both, each for completely different reasons. Adam was strong and successful. He was what every woman would look for in a man. A serious romantic, who always knew the exact thing to say to a woman. Tonight was no exception.

  ‘I know’ she lowered her head to the floor feeling like a child who now wanted two toys when she was only allowed one. He looked at her, all of the anger and hurt gone from his eyes now. Coming down to her level, he was on one knee.

  ‘Amy. I love you. I have from the first minute I laid eyes on you. I know you made a mistake and I am 100% willing to leave it where it is now, in the past. The months we’ve been together, I know have been short but you know we fit together’ he held her hands close to him taking them to his mouth to kiss them. His eyes were closed.