Lunch at the Beach House Hotel

by Judith Keim

  The breeze picked up. Palm trees swayed in the wind, their fronds grasping the air with narrow strands like fingers reaching for something. Gray clouds raced across the darkening skies. The Gulf waves slapped against the sand like angry hands.

  I turned away from the view outside to spend time chatting with each of the guests. We had to make sure they had what they needed to get through a stormy night.

  A guest, a woman from Canada, caught hold of my hand. “I’ve never been in such a storm. I have to confess I’m nervous about it.”

  “If things get bad, we’ll gather in the library where there are no windows. Our staff and I will be here to help you.”

  Moving along, I spoke to another couple—honeymooners. The bride, a sweet-looking young girl, beamed at me. “This is so exciting. It’ll make our honeymoon so special.” She gazed lovingly at her groom.

  I couldn’t help thinking of Angela and Reggie. His parents had sent a message, agreeing to come for Thanksgiving, but I wasn’t at all confident it would be a happy visit.

  Tina and I ate dinner at the kitchen table, out of the way of the staff, who were working smoothly to prepare the meal before heading home to care for their families.

  Later, I walked Tina over to my house. I’d stay there with her as long as I could, but as the storm got closer, I’d move over to the hotel to help our guests.

  I checked my lanai. The hotel staff had put my outdoor furniture into the pool, where it would be safe. But my larger potted plants were still sitting on rolling trollies. I rolled the largest ones against the wall of the house. Tina and I carried smaller plants and decorative items into the house. Hopefully, the screen cage around the pool would stay intact. I’d already repaired it once, due to another storm.

  We turned on the television in the living room. Tina sat beside me on the couch, looking more and more worried as reports came in that Nancy would hit the southwest coast of Florida. There was no point in going to bed. Not with news like that.

  I checked the large flashlights and lanterns I kept on hand and found them to be fine. Nevertheless, I pulled out a bag of batteries and placed them on the counter.

  “All set,” I announced to Tina. “We might as well watch a movie. I don’t think either one of us is going to sleep for a while. Why don’t you choose something?”

  “How about this?” Tina indicated an animated family feature.

  “Sure, that would be great. I haven’t seen something like this in ages.”

  She laughed. “Neither have I. My mother wasn’t one to sit around and watch movies with me. But this is one of my brother’s favorites.”

  “So you and your brother are close?” I said, probing for information.

  “Yeah, we are. He has Down syndrome. My mother tried to put him in an acting program, but he didn’t like it. He had too much trouble memorizing lines. But he goes to a special school, and he likes that.” She shook her head and sighed. “My mother doesn’t have much patience with either him or me, so it’s not great. I’ve been thinking about him. Maybe someday he can move in with me.”

  “That would be a nice, generous thing,” I said. “But how would your mother feel about that?”

  Tina’s scoff was telling. “She’d love it. Believe me.”

  Sitting side by side, we watched the antics of little toys in the movie, laughing together. It was a nice time, but I missed my daughter. When the movie was over, I went into the kitchen to call her.

  Liz answered right away. “Hi, Mom! I saw on television that Hurricane Nancy is headed your way. Are you all right? Are you prepared?”

  “We’re as ready as we can be,” I said. “We don’t yet know what the impact will be on us after the storm crosses Cuba. There’s a chance it could be downgraded to a tropical storm. We have to wait and see. By the way, Angela’s boyfriend was here, and his parents are coming for Thanksgiving. It will be good to have you here for that. I’m sure Angela would like your support.”

  “Uh, there’s something I have to tell you,” said Liz. There was an uneasiness to her voice that I recognized. “Dad called me. He’s going to come up with a lot of the money for my tuition. The only problem is, he made me promise to go there for Thanksgiving.”

  “Whaaat! He knows I was counting on seeing you. You live in the same area. You can visit him anytime. Why is he insisting on a Thanksgiving visit?”

  “You know Dad. There’s always a twist. But under the circumstances, how could I refuse? I need that money.”

  “Oh, honey, I wish I were in a position to give it to you. But at the moment, I’m not. We’re upgrading a couple of rooms in anticipation of a good season, including an important wedding.”

  “Mom, don’t worry about it. Dad owes me that money. Even if I have to spend time with Kandie to make him pay up, I’ll do it. Besides, little Robbie is a cutie.”

  “Well, I guess that’s the way it’ll be,” I said, unable to hide my disappointment.

  “Love you, Mom,” said Liz. “I’ll definitely be there for Christmas. What did you think of Reggie?”

  “I liked him. You know Rhonda. It’ll take her a while to get over Angela’s dating someone who doesn’t like her cooking. He’s allergic to shellfish, and tomatoes make his skin itch.”

  Liz laughed. “I can hear Rhonda now. How’s she feeling? Angela told me about the baby.”

  “Rhonda’s looking much better and is over that early morning sickness. But she’s nervous as can be about meeting Reggie’s parents. I don’t blame her. They don’t sound like easy people to get along with.”

  “Yeah,” said Liz. “They’re not happy about Reggie dating Angela.”

  Worry pinched my gut. Angela was a sweet, nice girl. I’d hate for anyone to hurt her or the baby she might be having.

  “Call me tomorrow when you get a chance,” said Liz. “I want to know you’re all right.”

  “Sure, sweetie. Love you. I’d better go.”

  “Wow!” said Tina, startling me. I’d forgotten she was close enough to hear my conversation with Liz. “That was your daughter? You guys do seem close.”

  “We are. At her age, she’s more like a friend than my daughter.”

  Tina shook her head. “That’s never going to happen between my mother and me.”

  I let her comment go. I didn’t see that happening either.

  A while later, the television weather crew reported the mountains of Cuba had weakened the hurricane, which had then been downgraded to a tropical storm, but it was still on track to head right for us. They suggested everyone hunker down until it had passed. Rain had already started ahead of the storm, and now the wind was picking up.

  “I’d better get over to the hotel,” I said to Tina. “I wish you would come with me.”

  Tina glanced at the weather outside and shook her head. “I’ll stay here. I don’t want to go outside in that wind, and I feel safe here.”

  “Okay, then. Keep the lantern by you, in case you need it. Otherwise, you know what to do. If it gets bad, stay inside the guest bathroom where there are no windows. Stay there until the wind dies down.” Impulsively, I gave her a quick hug. “I’d rather stay here too, but I can’t leave our guests. See you in the morning.”

  I put on a rain parka and stepped outside.

  The wind grabbed the breath from my throat. I stood a moment, trying to draw in air, gasping like a fish out of the water. My hair whipped around in the wind, stinging my cheeks. No wonder Tina didn’t want to be outside, I thought, ducking my head and running through the rain as fast as I could toward the hotel.

  By the time I reached the double front doors, my hair was hanging down in strings, and my feet were wet. I entered the lobby and hurried into the kitchen hallway to grab a towel and do my best to dry off.

  I took off my wet sandals and wiggled my toes. So much for formality, I thought and quickly assessed the situation. Rhonda had handled the dinner shift and left, along with Jean-Luc and Sabine. Dave had not yet arrived for the night shift.

&
nbsp; In the living room, guests lounged on chairs and couches, focused on the television screen. It was almost a party atmosphere as strangers talked, becoming friends who were sharing an adventure together. I refilled the coffee pot that had been placed on a side table and brought out a fresh platter of cookies.

  Tim came over to me. “Looks like it might not be too bad.”

  “I hope not..”

  As soon as the words were out of my mouth, the lights went out.

  “Uh-oh,” he said.

  A cry went up from the living room.

  “Stay calm, everyone,” I announced. “The generator has kicked on, and emergency lighting is available at the exits and in the halls. For those of you who forgot to keep flashlights or lanterns with you, we’ve got extras at the front desk.”

  I was returning to the lobby when my cell rang. I checked caller ID and picked up the call.

  “Hi, Tina. What’s up?”

  “I’m scared,” she said. “I should’ve come to the hotel with you.”

  “You’d better stay inside right there. Heaven knows what’s happening outside. The wind is howling. It could be dangerous.”

  “I know. That’s why I want to be with you,” Tina said.

  “When the eye of the storm hits, things will slow down. Maybe you can try to get here then,” I said. “Look, I’ve got to go. One of our guests is calling for help.”

  I hung up and headed upstairs. Alice Wentworth, an older woman traveling with her husband Marv, was standing in the hallway. “We heard a loud crack, and something hit the building right where our room is. My husband is checking on it now.”

  I went into their room and waved my flashlight all around, checking the window and the sliding glass door leading to the balcony. A huge palm frond was lying on the balcony. Relieved it hadn’t broken any of the taped glass, I turned to them.

  “We’ll get that cleaned up tomorrow morning. You’d better come downstairs with me.”

  I led them downstairs to the library and left them to check on things in the kitchen.

  As I was passing the front door of the hotel, I heard what sounded like some kind of creature howling. Confused, I cracked the door open. The outside lights, dimly lit by the generator, displayed a body sprawled on the front circle. A large palm branch lay nearby.

  “Tim!” I screamed. “Help me!”

  He came running.

  “Someone’s hurt,” I said, “or worse. Come on!”

  Together we ran outside.

  As I got closer to the body, I realized who it was.

  “Tina!” I shrieked. “Are you okay?”

  “Owww!” she cried. “It hurts!”

  Struggling a bit, Tim lifted the palm branch off her leg.

  I knelt in the soggy grass beside her. “What happened? Where does it hurt?”

  “My leg! My leg!” she screamed.

  Staring at the way her leg was twisted, I knew it must be broken. “Tim, call 911 and get someone here right away. And then bring blankets to us.”

  He sprinted to the hotel.

  I grabbed hold of Tina’s hand and huddled over her, trying to protect her from the stinging rain. “Okay, hon, we’re getting help for you. I’ll stay right here beside you. It looks like your leg might be broken.”

  She laid her head on the ground and moaned. “It freaking hurts.”

  “I’m sure it does. Hold on. They’ll be here soon.” I prayed they’d be able to come to our aid quickly. I was certain the howling wind and the driving rain meant more than one emergency call.

  It seemed to take forever for an ambulance to show up. But then things happened quickly. One EMT checked her over while another made quick work of splinting the leg. Then carefully they lifted her onto a collapsible gurney and rolled it into the ambulance.

  “May I go with her?” I asked. “She’s living with me.”

  The EMTs exchanged glances, and then one of them nodded. “Okay, we’ll take it nice and easy. I’ll help you get in.”

  The hospital wasn’t far away, so it was a short ride. They kept the sirens off.

  Once there, the EMTs moved with efficiency. I watched as they wheeled Tina into the emergency room. In the reception area, I gave what information I could to the emergency room triage nurse and then sat to wait to be called to Tina’s bedside.

  After what seemed a lifetime, a nurse appeared. “Ann Rutherford?”

  “Yes.” I stood, acutely aware I was in bare feet and soaking clothes.

  “You may come back now,” the nurse said. “Follow me.”

  She led me to a curtained bed and slid open the curtain on one side. “Tina. Your friend Ann is here.”

  Tina looked up at me drowsily. “Hi.”

  I took hold of her hand, careful to avoid the IV the nurses had inserted.

  A young man in a white coat appeared. “Hello, I’m Dr. John Wilson. I understand this patient, Tina Marks, is living with you.”

  “Glad to meet you. I’m Ann Rutherford. What injuries does she have?”

  “Unfortunately, she has displaced fractures of the tibia and fibula. We’ll prepare her for surgery. The X-rays shows pretty clean breaks, so I’m not anticipating any real problems. We’ll put in plates and screws where necessary.”

  “And then what happens?” I said. Did it mean that no matter what she finally decided, the next movie was out for Tina?

  “A good recovery normally takes several weeks. And then there will be some physical therapy needed to build back strength.”

  I glanced over at Tina. She was dozing, no doubt from the medication they’d given her.

  “Ms. Marks has signed the papers for surgery. As I’ve explained to her, she should be back to an almost normal existence in a couple of months. There was no compound fracture, which makes things a bit easier.”

  “Thank you, Doctor. When is the surgery taking place?”

  “We’ll have a room in another twenty minutes or so.” He glanced at me. “Enough time, I should think, for you to go home and change before coming back.”

  I brushed back my wet hair from my face. “Thanks. I think I’ll do that.”

  “See you soon,” I whispered to Tina, leaning over and placing a kiss on her cheek.

  She stirred, opened her eyes, gave me a weak smile and drifted back to sleep.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Tim picked me up at the hospital in the hotel van. Driving back to the hotel I was able to distinguish debris on the lawns we passed by in the dark. Trees were obviously down in some areas.

  “How are things at the hotel?” I asked him, trying not to shiver in the air-conditioned van. We couldn’t turn it off; the windshield was fogged up from the change in temperature even as rain continued to blur the view.

  Tim turned to me with an unhappy expression. “Things in the lobby are pretty bad where debris blown by the wind broke the glass, and the rain got in.”

  “My God! How many windows got broken?”

  “Hard to tell until we get a good look. All the windows that were boarded up seem to be fine, from what I could tell.”

  I collapsed against the seat of the van. More problems.

  When she heard what had happened, Rhonda insisted on coming to the hotel to maintain control there while I went back to the hospital to be with Tina. The quick-moving storm had spent most of its energy, though electricity was still out. With daylight, we’d know more about property damage.

  Will arrived at the hotel with Rhonda. After dropping her off, he drove me to the hospital.

  “Thanks, Will,” I said, stepping out of the car. I knew he was anxious to get back to Rhonda. It was cute to see how protective he’d become of her.

  “I’ll call the hotel when I’m ready to be picked up,” I told him and hurried inside.

  A nurse directed me to the surgical waiting room. Sitting with other anxious people, I wondered what these broken bones would do to Tina’s career. She’d boldly stated she didn’t want to do the movie. Now she wouldn’t be able to. W
ould she be upset the choice had been taken away from her?

  “Tina Marks?” said a nurse wearing blue scrubs.

  I held up my hand.

  The nurse came over to me. “She’s come through the surgery just fine. The doctor was able to do a smooth reduction, lining up the bones and making sure they will stay in place. You can come back and see her. She’s ready to leave the recovery room. She’ll stay the rest of the night and be released tomorrow.”

  I followed the nurse back to a room with curtained sections and to Tina’s bed.

  “Hi, honey,” I said, taking hold of her hand.

  “See why I don’t like the wind?” Tina said drowsily.

  “You scared me, you know. I thought you were dead.” Tears unexpectedly stung my eyes. I blinked them back. “But you’re going to be fine. You came through the surgery well.”

  “Guess I won’t be doing my usual moves, huh?”

  “We’ll talk about all that later. They’re going to put you in a room. Then tomorrow you’ll come back to the hotel with me.”

  “Home sweet home,” she said, barely able to move her lips. “Water. I need some water.”

  I called the nurse, and she brought a glass of water and a straw. “Sip slowly,” she instructed.

  After Tina had taken a few small sips, the nurse turned to me. “Looks like she’ll be in room #316. Why don’t you meet us there?”

  “Okay. See you in a few minutes, Tina.” I turned to go.

  “Ann?”

  I turned back. “Yes?”

  “Thanks for being here. It wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t feel safer with you than anyone else.”

  This time, the tears that stung my eyes couldn’t be blinked away. I took hold of her hand again and squeezed it. “You’ll always be safe with me. I promise.”

  “Thanks. No one’s ever said that to me before.”

  When I turned away this time, I let the tears that had filled my eyes overflow. Life was sometimes so sad.

  I left Tina with the promise to pick her up later that day.