The Seaside Hotel

by Agnès Ruiz

  Was her inner self secretly aspiring to something else? Joanna forbade herself to go any further along that path. Aptly, the hospital staff came to collect her neighbour on his stretcher. She jumped at the chance to forget her torment and to concentrate on the moment.

  “Will you still be here after the x-rays... and the operation?”

  She approached Guillermo who seemed impatient for her to answer favourably. She was aware of it. However, she couldn’t satisfy him. Why would she? She hadn’t come to help him. She prepared to tell him that she had to leave. Yet, she surprised herself by assuring him that she would wait as long as necessary, astonished at hearing herself pronouncing such a statement.

  “Thank you, thank you for everything.”

  He was sincere and even squeezed her hand, trying to grin. She supposed it was due to the pain. He finally let go and held his file.

  “Could you give it back to the attendant for me?”

  “I will do. You don’t need to worry about a thing.”

  Standing in the room, she watched the caring staff handle her neighbour. She was still wondering why she had accepted to stay here. Because she felt responsible? Because he had nobody else?

  She thought there must be someone to inform if need be! Of course! He had filled in his file. She opened it and found he had put her name. Joanna Gaspardin!

  “We’re not even related!” she spluttered, horrified.

  Resigned, she carried the papers to the attendant in the admissions office then returned to sit in the waiting room. Her thoughts flew to her strange neighbour, then to Paul, the handsome emergency doctor. He seemed comfortable with his work. He had always seemed one step ahead. She never thought he would embrace this kind of job.

  She was happy about his invitation. With that she could get to know him again. He wasn’t married. She had discreetly checked; he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring. It was surprising for a man like him, with so many attractive features. But what if her neighbour was right and he was a ladies’ man?

  Since her disappointment with Zoé’s father, Joanna had decided to firmly close her heart. If she could have, she would have placed the whole organ in a safety box, away from her doubts and wishes. Away from herself, in other words. Except it wasn’t possible.

  She’d already had a few short-term flings and forbade herself to take those relationships any further. Not to suffer any more. That was the key word.

  Why was it that Paul made her heart beat a little faster than it should? Her phone pulled her out of her thoughts. She thought it was the plumber, but it was her friend, Linda.

  “What are you doing? I’ve been waiting for you for a quarter of an hour.”

  “Linda? Zoé didn’t tell you?”

  “Tell me what?”

  “I’m at the hospital.”

  “What? What happened?!”

  “No, nothing everything’s fine. It’s not me.”

  “Your father?”

  “Let me speak, then.”

  She heard her friend laughing this time, on the other end of the line. Her comment at least had the credit to relax her and make her understand that nobody had died.

  “It’s my neighbour. He broke his leg and I was there, so I’m just giving him a hand.”

  “Just like that, a complete stranger... you’ve said more than enough to leave it like that, old friend!”

  “Guillermo. He’s called Guillermo”, Joanna informed her, simply.

  “Is he cute?” Linda wanted to know, amused.

  “Linda, you’re impossible. I’m in the emergency room, not flirting in a bar!”

  She suddenly lowered her voice, noticing faces turn towards her.

  “Don’t call me to let me know, then.”

  “Well, no. I’m sorry. It all happened so fast...”

  “Would you like me to come to keep you company?”

  Joanna could have said yes. But she knew her friend passionately disliked hospitals. However, she told her that she had come across an old school friend.

  “He’s become an emergency doctor. He wants to meet up, one of these evenings.”

  “Well, that is promising. Just goes to show I should change my thoughts on hospitals... You might meet your match, my dear.”

  “You know full well I’m not looking. I already have enough on my plate in my private life.”

  “Like what?”

  Joanna could have mentioned the state of her father’s health, but she realised that it wasn’t the right moment to have such a long phone conversation in the emergency waiting room.

  “Listen, Linda, I’m sorry to let you down. I have to go, now. I will call you tomorrow, without fail, all right?”

  Joanna hung up and went to the shop to find a magazine to help her get through the wait. The time was dragging. She had had another idea for a girls’ night. To think that she’d asked her brother to replace her in anticipation for a night out. In the end, she would have given everything to be at the seaside hotel, rather than here.

  Without thinking, she looked at the adverts on the walls and regretted it as they were only about treatments and care. She imagined a large poster showing the benefits of a break at the sea front, and of course, the hotel would be in the background, the timber beautiful in its green surroundings, its flowerbeds blooming on each side, welcoming the guests.

  Joanna fell asleep without realising.

  11

  Someone was softly tapping her on the shoulder. A grey-haired doctor informed her that Guillermo Voily had just left the operating theatre and was in the recovery room.

  “It went very well. You can see him shortly, in his room.”

  Joanna thanked him, loosely, recalling where she was, still groggy from sleep. She needed a coffee, she decided, getting up.

  She soon came back with a coffee, and a chocolate croissant. She sat back down in the same place, waiting again, the time never-ending, she thought. Finally, she was taken through a maze of corridors before being led to a private room.

  Intimidated, she entered and saw Guillermo Voily. The room was quite small, with a television, a large window, the bed and a chair.

  “You’re still here”, Guillermo commented as she approached.

  “As you can see.”

  “I can’t believe it... You shouldn’t have.”

  “You asked me to stay.”

  Guillermo was quiet. Joanna felt awkward by the unusual silence. He watched her, openly. “You seem like a good person, Joanna. I suppose I can call you by your first name, after this strange way of meeting.”

  “I guess so, yes”, Joanna confirmed. “How do you feel? Are you in much pain?”

  She sat in the chair, placed there for visits. She didn’t appreciate the coldness. Guillermo didn’t answer. She repeated her question.

  “No... I’m fine. I think. They gave me morphine, so, I’m not suffering too much, yet.”

  “I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.”

  “Could you give me some water, please...?”

  Joanna stood up and guided the straw to Guillermo’s lips.

  “I can hold the glass, you know. It’s my leg that’s broken”, he mumbled.

  “Yes, of course.”

  They both laughed at the strangeness of it all, and perhaps also at their close proximity, suddenly uncomfortable.

  “Did you sleep here?”

  “Badly”, Joanna answered, directly.

  They giggled again, but Guillermo stopped first and closed his eyes. His hand which was holding the glass threatened to spill everything.

  Joanna decided to take the glass off him and put it on the bedside table.

  “I will go. You need to rest.”

  “You’re right”, Guillermo approved, unable to fight his eyelids that were closing by themselves.

  Joanna was inside the doorway when she turned and watched him from a distance. Did he know she was still there? Nonetheless, she heard him ask:

  “Will you come to see me again?”

  “
Of course... I’m working, but I ... this evening, if I can visit, briefly.”

  He didn’t reply and Joanna left, troubled. In her car, she noticed that she had a message. The plumber told her he could stop by in the morning. She called him back to confirm and contacted the seaside hotel to let them know that she wouldn’t be there before the afternoon. Melanie assured her not to worry, and that she would manage.

  Joanna doubted it, yet did not insist. She couldn’t do much about it, anyway. Moreover, she would be back at her post as soon as she finished eating.

  With luck, the plumber would not need her next to him to do whatever he had to do. She knew she could count on him and if need be, he could call her at the hotel. She could then go back and forth.

  At home, she found the house silent. Her daughter was still sleeping. She would no doubt get up in the middle of the afternoon; moan that she was hungry and that the fridge was empty. It was one of her classics. Joanna opened the fridge and recognised, this time, that Zoé was right to complain. She had to go grocery shopping. She was going to do it later, later again... and finally, it hadn’t been done for a good week. She loitered in the freezer and checked that there would be something for her daughter. She took out what was needed and slipped it into the fridge.

  She left the plumber and went to work. The day stretched ahead and the worker finally called to tell her he had found the leak. He told her not to empty the bathtub as it hadn’t been fully repaired. Joanna hung up, relieved. When she lifted her eyes, she saw her brother.

  “Taking a holiday, are we, then?” Joshua started, sarcastic.

  Joanna grumbled her reply, briefly. And Joshua, sure of his effect, informed her:

  “By the way, Dad is back.”

  “Really?” Joanna asked, surprised.

  He was only supposed to come back the next day.

  “He wanted to know where you were. As I didn’t know, I couldn’t cover for you.”

  12

  Joanna reddened under the unambiguous comment.

  “How?! I called Mélanie to let her know. I slept at the hospital, if you want to know everything. My neighbour broke his leg.”

  “Sorry, Joanna. I didn’t get that information. But don’t worry. Besides, he’ll understand once he sees by the look of you that you had an eventful night. You don’t look very good!”

  “That’s right, make it better!”

  Joanna could have let him continue telling it like it was. She suddenly felt a lead weight overwhelm her. In addition, she had never been very good at answering Joshua back and especially winning a match. He always had the last word and crushed her most of the time.

  In the beginning, because he was her little brother and she had to set a good example, it became so much of a habit that there was no fighting spirit, or knowing what to say at the right moment.

  After the incident, he came out with good, well-formed phrases. For a while, she would confront Joshua and throw them back. But it was always just too late. Always too late.

  “Oh, what’s the use?!” Joanna finally huffed.

  She raised her shoulders, defeated, then returned to her office. She carefully avoided the reception. She had no intention of going to lecture Mélanie for not passing on the information about her absence. Moreover, she wasn’t even sure it was the truth.

  The young Mélanie had no interest in starting the fire which sometimes burned between the brother and sister. Would all this end in an inferno? Joanna told herself it wouldn’t. Joshua had other dreams aside from than the seaside hotel.

  Perhaps if she repeated it so much, it would finally happen and she would completely believe it? Her mobile phone rang and she was surprised to hear the voice of Guillermo Voily.

  “Where are you?”

  “In my office”, she replied.

  “They are going to release me. This afternoon at four o’clock.”

  “I’m happy for you.”

  “Except that I have a problem.”

  There we go, what was he going to announce this time? This neighbour was becoming quite troublesome, thought Joanna.

  “What’s going on?” she asked; her voice neutral.

  “You still have my wallet and my keys...”

  Joanna was glad she was alone in her office because she blushed straight to her roots. He was right. How had she have forgotten to give everything back to him?

  “I... I’m sorry. I’ll bring it back.”

  After a short silence on the other end of the line, she heard Guillermo continue:

  “Tell me, would it bother you if you came when I have to check out? That way I could go straight home, with you.”

  “It’s just that... I’m at work. And I usually finish late.”

  Suddenly, she thought of the state of his flat.

  “But you can’t do that. With your leg in plaster... And your living room is a shambles.”

  “Well, I warn you. I’m used to living alone, you know. Are you worried about me?”

  She had the impression she could see him smile on the other end of the line. She stopped and wondered if that was the case. Maybe a little. After all, she felt responsible. Moreover, she genuinely was for the leak in his flat and for the broken leg. She could at least make an effort. Except that it wasn’t ideal, today, with her father being back. She had already taken enough time off...

  “I will be there at four o’clock”, she said anyway.

  She swiftly said goodbye and hang up from fear of changing her mind. Then she massaged her temples with her fingertips and closed her eyes. However, a little voice told her she was doing nothing wrong. She was always present, never ill. As well as that, she almost never took time off. Her daughter reproached her enough. How many times had she told her:

  “It’s worth having a hotel in the family and never taking holidays.”

  What does it rhyme with?

  Joanna turned a deaf ear most of the time because she didn’t know how to answer; only that she loved her job. Was that enough?

  She thought of her father, and of his trip. She realised that she had completely forgotten to ask her brother how he found him, if he seemed well before he left. How could she have missed that? She had worried herself sick after her discussion with Joshua then events continued, with her neighbour, among others.

  Joanna got up and found herself before her father’s secretary.

  “Joanna, can I help you?”

  “I would like to see Dad. Is he there?”

  Marguerite looked stricter than Joanna had ever seen. She was going to turn back even before waiting for the reply.

  “I’m sorry, but he is busy at the moment. You know, after a holiday, the work soon adds up.”

  “Late afternoon, then?”

  Marguerite checked (or looked like she was) her paper agenda for a long time. Finally, she shook her head.

  “Tomorrow would be better.”

  “Well, let’s do tomorrow, then.”

  “I’ll pencil you in for ten o’clock, Joanna. He will be pleased to see you again.”

  “Me too.”

  Joanna left, then, in the corridor, she changed her mind and went back.

  “Have you forgotten something?”

  “Indeed. It’s nothing really... I’d like to know how he is.”

  Marguerite readjusted her glasses and observed Joanna.

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “Dad. Did he seem all right?”

  Marguerite looked disturbed by the question and frowned.

  “Of course he was well. Are you OK, Joanna?”

  “It’s just that he was tired when he went away. I was worried, that’s all.”

  The secretary gave a winning smile and shook her head.

  “He seemed fine. But it’s not surprising; he’s just got back from his holiday. He must have had a good time. Didn’t he call you at all?”

  This time, Marguerite seemed surprised by this.

  “I’m glad, then. You know, a phone call, doesn’t tell you
everything.”

  Joanna hoped she had wriggled out of it. Marguerite looked satisfied. She even seemed lost in her thoughts, which was rare in such a discreet woman.

  “It’s true. I recently spoke to my sister on the phone. It’s been a good ten years. She was laughing, joking about the rain that never stops in her part of the country. And then, after talking for an hour, her husband called me to announce her death. I didn’t even know she was so sick. She didn’t want to tell anybody. We don’t hear the necessary just by speaking on the phone.”

  “I’m sorry... for your sister”, Joanna expressed, staggered.

  A freezing chill penetrated her. Was her father like that, near death? She categorically refused it. He had just turned 70 years old. It wasn’t old these days. Not old at all.

  She said goodbye to Marguerite, lost in her memories and left, with slower steps; her mind tortured by dark thoughts.

  In her office, she found a message from her friend Paul, the emergency doctor. He asked if she was free for dinner that evening. She had planned to go back and forth: drive her neighbour home then come back to the seaside hotel. She dialled his number and instead of telling him her decision, she accepted his invitation. When she hung up, she cursed herself and her eyes fell upon the portrait of her daughter, Zoé, near her computer.

  “Joanna, do not play with your heart”, she murmured to herself.

  13

  Joanna was surprised to hear her father’s secretary, Marguerite. Why was she calling her? Had she forgotten to tell her something even though they had seen each other such a short time earlier?

  Joanna suddenly understood that something was wrong. Her voice was strange. She was buzzing with an emotion that Joanna had never seen in her, and was unable to identify it.

  “Are you all right, Marguerite?” Joanna asked, instantly worried.

  Rodolphe G. Gaspardin’s secretary took a while before getting back to the conversation, and especially her reason for calling. She voluntarily eluded Joanna’s direct question, and informed her that her father had summoned a family meeting tomorrow morning at nine o’clock, in the meeting room.