by Judith Keim
The day rattled along like an old wagon with a wobbly wheel. Paul called me from I-75 to tell me the limousine had a flat tire, and he’d be late picking up the guests at the airport in Ft. Myers.
I checked my watch. “How long do you think it’ll take you to fix it?”
“I’m not sure. The spare isn’t here.”
I groaned. If this was an indication as to how the whole weekend was going to go, I was in trouble. Big trouble.
“I’ll send Tim out in the van. He can pick up the passengers at the airport and bring them here. By then, I will have ordered a new tire for the limo, and he can bring it back out to you.”
“Thanks,” said Paul. “I’ll go ahead and jack the car up so it’ll be ready.”
I hung up, shaking my head. Paul should have made sure the limo was in good shape before taking off. I’d have to speak to Manny about it.
For the rest of the day, I held my breath, wondering what was going to happen next. Aware things came in threes, my superstitious soul quaked.
That night, after seeing that guests were checked in and settled for the night, I crawled into bed, tired to the bone. I flipped on the eleven o’clock news, realizing I had no idea what was happening outside my little world. As I tuned in, the weatherman was pointing to a line of stormy clouds on the map. A severe storm warning had been issued for most of the southwest coast of Florida. Heavy rain and high winds, he explained, were part of a cold-air system moving down the peninsula, aimed directly for us.
I rolled out of bed and called Tim, who was manning the hotel as a night clerk. “We’d better get out candles, matches, and extra flashlights. If we lose electricity, the emergency lighting system will illuminate the exits, but not the rooms themselves. I don’t want to take a chance on anyone being hurt. Be sure each guest room has one of the large emergency lanterns placed in it.”
“Okay, will do. The palms are already dancing up a storm. These Florida weather systems are something else.”
“Call me if you need me. I’m going to try to get some sleep so I can come in early and relieve you. I’m exhausted.”
Caught in frightening dreams, restlessly reaching for deep sleep, I tossed and turned. Some time later, I woke in a sweat. The room was warm and stuffy. I sat up in bed and automatically checked the digital alarm clock. Nothing. An unnatural stillness was broken by the sound of rain hitting the glass windows with the force of strong wind behind it.
Reaching for the flashlight I’d placed next to my bed, I flipped it on and quickly dressed by the single beam of light. I found my slicker and slipped it on.
Outside, the wind stole my breath, leaving me gasping. The fronds of the nearby palm trees rustled noisily in a frantic pattern. The salty air shook the leaves of the bushes along the walkway. I slowly fought my way through the wind and rain to the hotel. I’d just reached the front steps of the hotel when the headlights of a car broke through the darkness at the street entrance. A taxi rolled up and came to a stop in front of me. The driver hopped out of the cab, raced around to the trunk, and lifted out two suitcases.
A white-haired gentleman opened the passenger’s door of the cab and assisted a small, fragile-looking woman into the stormy weather. “Hurry, Ethel! It’s pouring,” he cried.
I rushed over to help them. “You’re staying here at The Beach House Hotel?”
“Yes,” the man answered, wiping the rain from his brow. “The name is Keene. My wife and I were supposed to be here several hours ago, but our flight out of Atlanta was delayed. We’re lucky we found a cab when we finally arrived.”
“Come right inside. Here, let me help you with your wife.” I steadied the tiny wisp of a woman on her feet.
The cabbie carried the suitcases up to the front door. While Mr. Keene paid him, his wife and I slowly made our way up the front steps. The wind buffeted us about as the rain continued to fall in driving sheets, drenching us.
I seated the weary guests in the foyer and hurried off to find Tim.
He was in the kitchen. “Glad to see you! It’s as bad as they said it’d be.”
“Help me! We’ve got guests in the front hall. The Keenes. They’re soaking wet. We’ve got to take them to their room.”
Tim grabbed a couple of flashlights and followed me out to the foyer.
I quickly checked their reservations, Then we led them upstairs and helped get them and their luggage settled in their room.
Downstairs again, I set up battery-lit lanterns along the stairway. “I’ll stay on one of the sofas in the living room. Who knows what might happen next.”
Lying on a couch, I tensed each time the wind rattled the windows and prayed the storm wouldn’t do a lot of damage to the property. Our budget couldn’t stand it.
As dawn was trying to make its presence known, I opened my eyes and sat up, disoriented. Realizing where I was, I scrambled to my feet. The wind had died down considerably. I hurried over to the doors leading to the pool and looked out. Chair cushions were scattered everywhere, a table lay on its side, and the umbrellas on the rest of the tables had blown open and hung at crazy angles in the lingering breeze.
I walked to the front door and opened it. Tree branches lay on the lawn along with several palm fronds. The hibiscus blossoms in the front hedge were hanging in pink, knotted, wind-blown clumps, still dripping water. Rainwater puddled in the driveway in a series of miniature ponds. The putting green had a few stray leaves lying on top of the grass but looked fine otherwise. I breathed a thankful sigh.
In the kitchen, I turned on the gas range to heat water, grateful we’d be able to provide our guests a hot breakfast. “It could be worse,” I murmured.
“What could be worse?” Tim appeared at the door in rumpled slacks and shirt.
“We’ve no electricity, and the phones are out, but we can rustle up a hot meal.”
Tim yawned and stretched. “What’s it like outside?”
“We’ll have to replace the umbrellas on the lanai, and some of the furniture might have to be replaced, but everything else seems to be fine. I’ll take a closer look after breakfast.”
Tim sat down at the table looking as if he hadn’t had any sleep at all. I knew how ragged he felt. “I’ll make us breakfast before we get too busy to have one. Once the guests are up, we’ll be hopping.”
I scrambled eggs and broiled toast in the gas oven.
Tim plugged a big coffee pot into one of the small generators we had, and soon the aroma of coffee added to my growing hunger.
We sat, sharing breakfast companionably. I liked Tim. He was a hard worker who didn’t complain when something unexpected came up. With Will and Rhonda away, I realized how much both Rhonda and I had come to depend on him. He was a gem in today’s world where nobody seemed to be willing to start out at the bottom.
After breakfast, Tim headed outside to survey damage to the landscaping, and I listed the tasks we’d need to take care of inside. I was glad to have insurance coverage for damage to the FF&E but worried about the deductible.
The sound of someone calling my name caught my attention. I leaped up from the table and hurried into the front hall, just as Tim came through the front door.
“Mr. Keene! What is it?”
The elderly gentleman was standing on the stairway in his pajamas, beckoning to me. “It’s my wife! It’s Ethel! She’s ill!”
I took the stairs two at a time. Tim followed on my heels.
Inside their room, Ethel Keene lay on the wide bed. Her face was drained of color, her lips tinged with blue.
Heart attack? I took hold of her hand. It was cold, clammy. “How are you feeling, Ethel? Any pain anywhere?”
She nodded. “My jaw and my chest.”
“We’re going to get you some help. You’ll be fine.” I turned to Tim. “Call 911. I’ll stay here.”
Tim nodded grimly and raced from the room. He returned moments later. “They’re on their way.”
Waiting for the ambulance, I helped Mr. Keene into clothes. The
EMTs arrived, and we stood by as they checked Mrs. Keene’s vitals, hooked her up to monitors, and placed her on a stretcher.
I handed Mr. Keene his coat and took hold of his hand. Remembering the horror of Wilkins Jones’ death, I whispered a frenzied prayer for Mrs. Keene’s life.
“I’ll drive you to the hospital,” I told him. “We’ll meet them there.”
Tim pulled the hotel van up to the front circle. We got Mr. Keene settled into the passenger seat, and I slid behind the wheel.
The wind and rain continued as we got underway. I soon discovered the streets of Sabal had become an obstacle course. I gripped the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles turned white as I picked my way around debris. The trip to the hospital, which should have been only a matter of minutes, seemed to take forever. Mrs. Keene, please don’t die, my mind screamed over and over.
Finally, the emergency entrance to the Sabal Community Hospital appeared before me. I pulled the van up to it, jumped out, and helped Mr. Keene inside. He took a seat in front of the desk of an admissions clerk, who was ready to take his information.
I parked the van and took a moment to call Tim. “Manny and Consuela are due to arrive at the hotel any minute. Last night, they stayed at their daughter’s house outside of town to babysit. They’re supposed to ride in to the hotel with Rosita and Ana. See if you can call them. Heaven knows what destruction they may have had in their area.”
“Okay,” said Tim. “I’ll get breakfast going, but Consuela better get here soon or we’ll have a lot of unhappy guests. My cooking isn’t that great.”
I hung up and took a seat in the waiting room.
Mr. Keene finished with the admissions clerk and sat down next to me, his face creased with worry.
I patted him on the back. “She’ll be all right.” I silently prayed it was so.
We kept a silent vigil.
After awhile, the emergency room doctor approached us. “Mr. Keene? Your wife is going to be okay. We’re working to get her stabilized now. As far as we can tell, it was not a heart attack, though there are irregularities in the heartbeat. My guess is that she’s a perfect candidate for a pacemaker. We’ll do extensive testing later.”
“Can I see Ethel now?” Mr. Keene asked. Tears filled his eyes. “I need to make sure she’s all right.”
The doctor nodded. “Okay, but don’t be alarmed by all the wires and machines you see. We’re monitoring her carefully.”
The relief on Mr. Keene’s face was touching, and I realized how much he loved his wife. I watched him leave with the doctor. If it were possible, he’d aged ten years since last night. I couldn’t help wondering if Vaughn and I would ever know that kind of devotion to one another.
When I told him I had to go back to the hotel, Mr. Keene opted to stay at the hospital. After making sure he understood he could call me for a ride anytime, I left him.
Driving back to the hotel, I saw more clearly how many trees had come down. Big branches were scattered everywhere. Earlier, I’d been too focused on driving to take a better look around.
The hotel was still dark when I arrived. As I opened the front door, I inhaled the smell of bacon cooking. I stepped into the kitchen and stopped.
Two of our female guests were running in and out, carrying platters of food. Tim and a guest from Minnesota, a man by the name of Mr. Kirk, stood at the stove cooking. They turned to me with wide smiles.
“What’ll you have?” Mr. Kirk said. “I’m doing fried eggs and omelets.”
I grinned. “I’m fine as I am, but thanks.”
“Where’s Consuela?” I asked Tim.
Tim gave me a worried look. “I don’t know. I couldn’t reach them. And none of the crew from that area has shown up yet. And you know Manny—he’s never late for anything.”
I frowned. Tim was right. It wasn’t like them not to check in.
A woman, Julie Snyder from Pennsylvania, if I recalled correctly, came into the kitchen. “You guys have more eggs and bacon? We have some big eaters.”
Tim smiled at me. “I’ve put a few people to work. They’re doing a great job.”
Another woman entered with an empty platter. Her face was flushed.
“Do you want to sit down? I’ll take over for you,” I said, unable to hide my concern.
“Are you kidding?” she chuckled. “We’re all having a ball. I haven’t waited tables since I was in college too many years ago.”
“I used to be a short order cook in the army. This is a piece of cake,” said Mr. Kirk, winking at the woman beside me.
She laughed. “We own a little stock in restaurants, but we agreed that was as close as we’d come to owning one. Right, hon?”
Mr. Kirk laughed good-naturedly. “You got it.”
“Well, we really appreciate your help.” I understood all too well the endless work of running a restaurant, even a small, limited one like ours.
I went into the dining room. Someone had placed candles on the tables. The room glowed with warmth, defying the gray, windy, cool weather outside. As often happens in adverse circumstances, guests who might not have spoken before now chatted together like old friends. The room vibrated with their easy bantering.
Relief, warm and sweet, traveled through me. What could have been a nightmare had turned into something memorable. It was at least one thing that seemed to be going right.
I went back to the kitchen to speak to Tim. “When things calm down here, would you be willing to drive to where Consuela and Manny are staying? I’m very concerned about them.”
“Sure. I’m worried too.”
I left him heating water to wash the dishes and went to check on the status of the downstairs rooms. I fluffed pillows, picked up magazines, and tidied up as much as possible. Then I set to work on what guest rooms I could clean, freshening bed linens and replacing dirty towels as I went.
Tim tracked me down. “I’m going to leave now to find Consuela and Manny and the others.”
“Okay. Drive carefully. It’s pretty bad out there.”
I’d been working for some time when I heard Tim call my name softly from the hallway. I sighed with relief. Help was here.
“Ann?” Tim stood in the doorway of the room I was cleaning. He face was white, his eyes suspiciously red.
My body turned cold. I dropped the pillow in my hand. “What’s the matter?”
“It’s Manny and Consuela. They were in an automobile accident with Rosita and Ana.” His voice broke. “I guess it was pretty bad.”
My mouth went dry. “How bad is it?”
“Manny’s in the hospital with a broken leg and Ana ... Ana’s hurt real bad!” He choked. “She’s going to live, but they tell me she’s not coming back here for a long time. It’s some sort of back injury. Rosita and Consuela are shaken and bruised, but they’re okay. Paul’s fine.”
The blood drained from my face. My knees gave way. I staggered into the room and sank down on the bed, feeling as if my whole world had exploded.
“Ann?” Tim wiped at his eyes. “Consuela’s son-in-law said he’d call you when he could, but what’ll we do now?”
I took a deep breath. “I’ll work something out.” But at the moment I didn’t know exactly what I’d do.
He left me, and I sat numbly, thankful lives had been spared. I wondered what the injuries would mean for Manny and Ana and how it would impact us. One moment can change lives forever, I thought sadly.
Soon, my practical mind took over. We’d have to hire extra help to replace Ana. Manny, too. In the meantime, Tim and I would do the best we could. There was no way I was about to ruin Rhonda’s vacation. She was as exhausted as the rest of us on our staff, and after postponing their wedding because of Sal and the hotel, she and Will needed some time to themselves.
Downstairs in my office, Tim and I discussed the situation.
“Maybe Consuela’s daughter, Maria, can take Ana’s place,” I said. “She’s helped at some of the breakfasts. Any suggestions for someone to take Ma
nny’s place? At least until he gets better?”
Tim shrugged. “Maybe. A guy I used to know from school called me last week wondering if I knew of any job openings. He was kicked out of school a while back. Low grades, I think. Now, he’s down here looking for work.”
Feeling desperate, I said, “Go ahead and call him, and ask him to come in for an interview as soon as possible. With all the damage from the storm, we need someone to help Paul clean up this mess.”
“Okay.” Tim rose. “After I call him, I’ll go outside and start on the lanai.”
“Thanks. I’ll help you.” The pool area was the least of our worries.
Tim left a message for his friend, and then we both went outside to see what we could do. The sun peeked out from behind clouds and hid again in a child’s game of Hide and Seek. We straightened the furniture by the pool, taking the useless, bent umbrellas down and wiping the furniture clean with rags. It was tedious work, but I was happy to keep busy while I waited for a call from Consuela’s family.
I left Tim fishing flower petals and other debris from the pool and headed for home, praying no damage had been done there. I might have received all the money Robert owed me, but it had already been used to pay my share of our improvements.
Approaching my house, I was relieved to see that no windows were broken. In the back of the house, a section of the pool cage lay twisted on the ground. The outdoor furniture was scattered but didn’t have any major damage. Two of the pots holding flowers were cracked and broken, leaving their contents in sad lumps on the surface of the lanai.
As I started the process of straightening, my cell phone rang. Esteban, Consuela’s son-in-law, called to say that Manny would have to stay in the hospital for a couple of days. They were still waiting to hear about Ana. The sting of tears blurred my vision. It seemed so unfair this had happened to such good people.
I went inside to change. Reflected in the glass of the sliding door in my bedroom, a rumpled stranger gazed back at me. I stared at my image. My hair was tangled and windblown around my flushed, sweaty face. My clothes were rumpled and soiled. But it was the ache of worry about the others that had creased my brow and caused my spirits to droop.
