Week 3: Adulthood: Strange Place
1138 Words
The boy looks at the tall skyscrapers with his eyes as if he had seen the place before. “But where?”
He remembers his mother uttering her final words like a skyscraper. His friend, an Italian model Serene Frieda, holds his hand and points to one of the 3-story houses in the middle of the skyscrapers.
“Quite a place. Piccola tra I grandi.” She nods her head.
“I have seen this scenario before, Serene.”
“ You always say that K.” She used to call him K as he wouldn’t mention his name. “You said that when we were in Brazil. Remember Rio?”
“That was Brazil!”
“ Yes, we have traveled to almost 17 places now. It’s been 3 years.” She mocks and pulls him towards the opposite corners of the skyscrapers. They reach the 3-story house and the boy confronts a local.
“ Do you know who I am?”
Serene laughs and whispers to the local man. The local man points to a window on the second floor of the building.
“A lodge in between skyscrapers!”
“It’s a hotel K. You amuse me. The window you see is the same as that in Rio. Remember why we are here.”
“Oh yes! I sensed that the window was a room.”
“Yes sir. It seems you do seem to annoy people. Madam, do you want to rent the room?”
“Pardon him, Ser. Would you be kind to introduce us?”
“Why, it would be my honor, Madam.”
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“This is Mr Belworth, the manager of this hotel.”
“Ahh new guests. Welcome Sir and Madam.” The old man greets them as he begins to slip out a small record book. “And are your names?”.
“Mr K and Miss Frieda, Serene Frieda”. The old man laughs and wiggles his hair. “Quite a name K. Is that the name sir?”
“ Yes. And a curby K.” The old man stared at the boy. “OK, I will curve the K. Do you want anything now for a meal madam?”
“Yes, do you have sandwiches? It is 2 and my sandwich time.”
“Yes, we have omelette sandwiches and bacon if you order, Madam.”
“No bacon, just the sandwiches and the same for him. And how much is the rent for a week?”
The old man checks the records.
“170 euros and we have a package for entertainment if you want?”
“Really?”
“Yes, for an additional 120 euros we can set up a trip to the nearest coaster rides and fairs. And that will be 3. 20 euros for each person. “
“OK, you can have 150 now in advance and 150 later.”
“10 tip. Quite the guests today” The old man smiles as he signs the page and asks the two to sign.
“Can we check the rooms first?” nods the boy.
“Well, you can sign and cancel later, Ser K.”
“No, we will take it.”
“Without seeing the rooms?”
“Yes. If the people are nice, the rooms must be too.”
“See, the madam is wise and amiable. You, Mr K, seem dubious. There is a hotel some 100 miles away if you want to leave.”
“OK then let’s check the rooms.” Serene laughs and pulls 100 and 50 euro notes and gives to the old man. “Cabin boy! Take the lady and the young man to their room.” Yells the old man.
“See his voice changing” whispered the young man to Serene.
“You are quite skeptical K. Can’t you be more polite sometimes? I mean it’s me who is getting robbed.”
“You should have asked for a discount rather than tipping them.”
“Well, I would have tipped them 50. Remember Rome where you slept at the carnival ride? And to not look irritated, I tipped the carnival boy a 10 and the hotel boy a 20.”
“I don’t remember anything except for being at the Dome in Moscow.”
“Yes, the dome. You remember because you paid 50. See you are like me.”
She looked at the beds and the sheets, which were quite fashionable with embedded Italian designs.
“Italian, in Boston?”
“Yes see. You remember the way the old man signed the papers?”
“No.”
“He sniffed and puffed when he wrote and his left hand was shaking.”
“So?”
“He is in his 50’s yet he looks old as if he were 70. It must be because of the marital papers or the divorce papers he signed for his wife or ex-wife. And the sniffing because he was out for a week or so in some hot place and returned here just some days ago.”
“You are talking like a Bond agent.”
“Well, being a model, you have to be wise.”
“And spendthrift too.” laughs the man.
“I thought models used to take photos.”
“Yes we did that 2 days ago when we arrived here, i***t. You forget everything. Yet you remember Moscow. Why?”
“ I…I remember the fairy rides there.”
“Yes, but that was cranking and old. Here it is more fun K.”
“Is that the reason we are here?”
“No, you asked us to come here. I had a photo shoot in Milan and the DP travelled here because of you and took mine one. It’s for a watch. See.” He looks at the photo. “Wow. Siempre watches"
“Yes, and each one costs 100 and they gifted me like a hundred of those. I think I will send the 98 to my friends. I have almost a thousand of them. It’s a T-shirt commercial coming up in New York. And you will love the pay. It’s 25,000 dollars. I won’t have to ask the Milan Company for a discount on the tickets next time. America is quite remunerative. Though Milan is more giving. You know what I mean.”
“OK, can I sleep? I am feeling tired.”
“Ok. I will take a shower. Though, tomorrow we will go to the merry fair.”
“I am OK with that, Serene. You look lovely as usual.”
“You could have said that like an hour ago K. See, boys are always complex, as they say.”
“No women are complex”. I whispered to my mind.
- Writer
