“Yes, thank
you. Yes, I got the email just now. Okay, thanks again. Bye.” Lauren had been
on the phone for the last 20 minutes trying to cancel their motel reservation
without being charged. She had been awake for approximately half an hour and
was already ready for a nap. There was a tapping at her window, and she turned
to see her father starring at her. “How’d it go?” he asked loudly through the
glass. Lauren rolled down the window, “Fine, no charge.” She said, and her
father looked relieved. “Listen, you’d better go inside. I think your mother’s
in love.”
Lauren let
out a breath and smiled, as she rolled up the window. She turned off the car
and followed her father into the motel office across the street. Actually she
followed him to the wrong side of the motel before he remembered which
direction the office was actually in. The motel they originally booked had
turned out to be in receivership. The pool was drained and there was no
television and her mother would have none of that. This had been their third
attempt of the morning, and she was glad to hear Nancy was satisfied at last.
“Lauren!
Glad you could join us.” The manager greeted her as they entered the lobby. She
laughed to herself, not questioning why he already knew her name. Her parents
left an impression wherever they went and, while that could definitely be
annoying, it always provided some decent entertainment.
“Glad to be
here!” she smiled back at him. “So,” she turned to her mother, “What’s the
plan?” Nancy turned and beamed at her. “Two separate rooms, televisions in
both, fold out queen couch in yours. TV works. We can’t check in until two, but
we can use the pool anytime. And free parking! Plus it’s the same price as that
shitty first motel you found for us.” Ouch. Actually she had found the hotel
through booking, and they had neglected to inform everyone with a reservation
of the motels current situation, hence the free refund. But she had learned a
long time ago to let her mothers cheap shots go. It was just the way Nanc was.
“Done!”
Lauren said, handing her credit card to the lady behind the counter. “Dad, you
should probably move the car, unless you put money in the meter. There’re some
spots right out here.” She said pointing out the window to her left. “Sounds
good.” He said walking into the door before realizing you had to pull it open.
There was a fifty percent chance he wouldn’t find the spot, but Phil was a man
who needed to stay busy, and she was willing to risk it.
As Lauren
filled out the paperwork Nanc handed her some cash for half the price of the
original motel. A few minutes later Phil came back inside saying, “Hun, I
couldn’t find a spot, were are they again?” Lauren looked at the three empty
spots outside the window, then back to her father. The motel manager smiled and
smoothly stepped in. Nothing but the best for the Pappas’s, come on Phil, you
can have my personal spot. Phil looked ecstatic. ‘Well played sir,’ Lauren
thought to herself as she finished up at the desk. Signing the receipt she
noticed the bill was a hundred dollars more then the previous place, but
shrugged it off. Everyone seemed happy, and that in itself was worth a hundred
bucks.
Her father
and the manager came back in laughing as the lady behind the desk handed her
the key cards. “Now,” Nanc said, “Where can I get a margarita?” The lady behind
the desk gave them several options. “But they’re probably not open yet,” she
said. Nancy looked incredulous, “Why not?” she scoffed. “Because it’s 9:30 in
the morning.” The manager said. Lauren met his eyes and they both laughed.
“Come on, let’s walk a little, we’ll find a place.” Lauren said, escorting her
parents out the door and in the direction of the boardwalk. She smiled to
herself as they set off into the unknown.
XXX
“Excuse me,
can you spray my feet?” Nanc asked the pool boy who was spraying off the side
of the building. They had just walked the boardwalk until 11 when the bars
opened, then took a stroll on the beach after a couple cocktails. “Huh?” the
pool boy asked. Lauren met her father’s eyes and they shook their heads.
“They’re sandy,” she said, pulling her perfectly pedicured foot out of her
flipflop and pointing it at the man’s hose. Understanding dawned on the pool
boy’s face and he began spraying off her foot. “Real classy hun.” Her father said
laughing. “Come on kid, let’s go see if the room’s ready.” He said, putting a
hand on her back. She led him to the motel office, leaving her mom to freshen
up on her own.
XXX
“How long
does it take you to get out of the car?” Her father stared down at her mother
as Lauren walked around the car and met them on the curb. They had finished
settling into the room and decided to drive down to Cape May for dinner. “I
don’t want to put money in the meter until you’re out or we’ll loose half an
hour.”
“Charming
Phil,” her mother said as she once again tried to stand up to no avail. Lauren
looked down at her mother’s struggle, “Your seatbelts still on,” she said. Her
mother looked down at the contraption, “Oh.” She said, unbuckling the device.
“I thought that was my purse strap.” She met Lauren’s eyes and they both laughed.
Phil rolled his eyes and started putting the coins in the meter.
XXX
Lauren opened her eyes as the door
to the room closed shut and her dad entered balancing three cups of coffee. “Morning!”
He yelled in the direction of the other room so Nanc could hear. “It’s warm outside.
Overcast but not raining!” He began mixing sugar and cream into the first
coffee.
“Is it cold outside?!” Nancy yelled from the other room. “No, it’s
warm!” he yelled back putting sugar and cream into the next coffee. “Is it
raining?!” Nanc yelled out to them. Lauren starting giggling, “Nope not
raining!” Phil yelled back, amusement in his voice. He laughed, and turning to
her, “How do you take your coffee kid?” “Black.” She said, stretching and
sitting up. “Black, that’s right.” He said then turned around and poured a
creamer into the last coffee. He handed it to her and she smiled up at him.
“Oh.” He said, and they both burst into laughter again.
“I brought pastries back!” Phil
yelled into the other room. “And bagels!” He was cut off as Nanc stretched loudly
while yelling, “Oh GOD!” Phil turned to his daughter. “Probably shouldn’t have
mentioned the bagels.” This sent them into another fit of giggles.
“Why do you
keep laughing at me?” Nanc called from the next room. “It’s cause you can’t hear
us!” Lauren shouted back taking a sip of coffee with cream. “What?!” she yelled
back, which just made them laugh harder. Phil shook his head, “I’d better go in
there.” “Good luck.” Lauren said as he grabbed a cup of the counter and left
the room. A minute later she heard her
mother say, “Why is there sugar in my coffee Phil? We’ve been married 40
years.”
