Status: Check it out!
Two Truths and a Lie
Chapter 2.
“Right, feel better!” exclaimed David, my driver as I stepped onto the sidewalk. He watched me as I grabbed my suitcase from the trunk or “boot” as he called it, and then zoomed off, like he couldn’t get away fast enough. I don’t blame him. The hour journey from the airport to the hotel was filled with roundabouts, heavy coughing, and exhaustion. For me, anyway. For some reason, I hadn’t realized how tired I was until I sat in the backseat, the plush seats cushioning me. The driving on the other side of the road confused me too much for how tired I was, and I realized that I was still on Boston time. However, it was 10 AM, no matter how many times I challenged it. David was quick to point to the illuminating clock on his dashboard in response to the numerous times I exclaimed “It’s 5 AM at home!” He also didn’t say anything, but I can tell he didn’t appreciate when I opened the windows to get some fresh air, especially considering how cold it was.
I wheeled my suitcase over the curb and glanced up at the hotel. I was staying at Leeds Marriott Hotel, and despite how beautiful it looked from the outside(little courtyard and everything), I couldn’t wait to get into my room. I zoned out through checking in, and somehow managed to be coherent enough because minutes later, I was sliding the key card through the slot and opened the door to my room. My eyes immediately went to the bed, and before I knew it, I was out.
I only woke up because there was a knock on the door. I glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand and realized that I had been asleep for 5 hours. I yanked myself up and peered through the peephole. It was room service, but unless I ordered something in my sleep, I didn’t remember calling them. I opened the door.
“Are you,” the young boy glanced at the note in his hand, “Lydia Matson of The Now?”
I laughed to myself at how official that sounded. “I am…”
The boy then wheeled in a cart with an ice bucket and a bottle of prosecco.
“ I’m sorry. I didn’t order anythin-” I started.
“Ms. Nina Lou-” he squinted at the card again,”oh! Louis. She had this sent to you.”
Of course she did. I slipped 10 pounds to the boy, thankful that I remembered to convert my cash, and thanked him.
It wasn’t long before Nina tried calling again, waking me from a light nap. I slid my thumb across my lock screen and mumbled
“Hello?”
“I can tell you’re in bed.”
I looked at the alarm clock yet again. 4:30 PM.
“No,” I lied, forcing myself to sit up straight. Jet lag was not fun. At least my cough seems to be gone, I thought.
“Well, how is it? Did you get the prosecco?”
“Yes. It’s good so far, I just woke up.”
Nina gasped. I winced. She sounded way too wide awake, and I couldn’t remember a time where she ever was up before 12 PM especially after a holiday.
“Don’t tell me you’re just hanging around the room tonight,” she ordered. That was exactly my plan, but seeing as she was the boss and I was the mere servant, I asked
“What would you like me to do?”
“Explore. Text me later.”
And with that, she was gone. I groaned and flopped back down on the bed. The idea of getting dressed up and being social was unappealing. And before I knew it, I was asleep again. I knew it wasn’t helping me getting adjusted to the time difference, but I couldn’t help myself.
I woke up around 6:30 PM and ordered room service for dinner. I wasn’t sure what to get, so I went with something very plain - grilled cheese. I cracked open the prosecco and turned on the TV. I of course didn’t know any of the channels, and like I always did in hotels, lost the little slip that had all of the TV information. I decided to keep it on the channel it turned on to, and discovered a dating show where it seemed as if B list celebrities went on blind dates with “normal’ people. I sipped my prosecco every time an awkward moment happened, and felt a little buzz by the end of the second episode.
I whipped out my phone and connected to the hotel’s wifi. I mentally thanked myself for having an international plan during this trip when I remembered how much the phone calls to Nina would have been otherwise. After the wifi was set up, I felt inspired by the show and decided to go on Tinder. And by inspired, I meant a little drunk and wanted to see what was out there. Nina had told me to go out and explore, but I could do that from my phone, right? For tonight, at least.
I answered a few lingering messages I had from people in Boston, and forgot why I was even in the app in minutes. I closed it and went on to Facebook. My heart dropped. The first picture to pop onto my newsfeed was of my mom, dad, my sister, Ana, and my boyfriend, Jack. Well, her boyfriend now. I rolled my eyes. They were huddled together in our dining room. I knew it was our dining room because of the burgundy walls and the framed Van Gogh print hanging up.
Happy Family! So glad to spend Thanksgiving with everyone! I laughed at the caption.
“Everyone but me!” I said to no one. You see, I had no issue leaving my family for Thanksgiving, or any holiday, really. After Jack had cheated on me with Ana, my parents were less than comforting to me, and more than supportive to Ana. It was always that way, and thanks to some other injustices, I had had enough of it. It officially had been a year and a half since I had seen any of them outside of a facebook photo. I don’t even think they knew where I was. A weird wave of emotion crept up over me, and I blamed it on the prosecco.
To swallow the uneasy feelings, I swallowed more prosecco.
Maybe I should go out, I thought, feeling fired up. I then realized that I truly had no idea where I was, and wasn’t in the right mind to venture far from the hotel. I decided that I would visit the hotel bar instead. An elevator ride was something I could handle. I didn’t have time for a shower, but I washed my face in the sink, swiped on deodorant, and sprayed some dry shampoo through my hair. I then changed into a simple black t shirt dress, and swiped on some mascara and red lipstick. I glanced at myself one more time in the mirror before I left. My white blonde hair looked trendy in a messy bun, something I could never recreate sober, and the lipstick made complimented my pale skin, freckles and all. I winked at my reflection and headed to the lobby.
I wheeled my suitcase over the curb and glanced up at the hotel. I was staying at Leeds Marriott Hotel, and despite how beautiful it looked from the outside(little courtyard and everything), I couldn’t wait to get into my room. I zoned out through checking in, and somehow managed to be coherent enough because minutes later, I was sliding the key card through the slot and opened the door to my room. My eyes immediately went to the bed, and before I knew it, I was out.
I only woke up because there was a knock on the door. I glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand and realized that I had been asleep for 5 hours. I yanked myself up and peered through the peephole. It was room service, but unless I ordered something in my sleep, I didn’t remember calling them. I opened the door.
“Are you,” the young boy glanced at the note in his hand, “Lydia Matson of The Now?”
I laughed to myself at how official that sounded. “I am…”
The boy then wheeled in a cart with an ice bucket and a bottle of prosecco.
“ I’m sorry. I didn’t order anythin-” I started.
“Ms. Nina Lou-” he squinted at the card again,”oh! Louis. She had this sent to you.”
Of course she did. I slipped 10 pounds to the boy, thankful that I remembered to convert my cash, and thanked him.
It wasn’t long before Nina tried calling again, waking me from a light nap. I slid my thumb across my lock screen and mumbled
“Hello?”
“I can tell you’re in bed.”
I looked at the alarm clock yet again. 4:30 PM.
“No,” I lied, forcing myself to sit up straight. Jet lag was not fun. At least my cough seems to be gone, I thought.
“Well, how is it? Did you get the prosecco?”
“Yes. It’s good so far, I just woke up.”
Nina gasped. I winced. She sounded way too wide awake, and I couldn’t remember a time where she ever was up before 12 PM especially after a holiday.
“Don’t tell me you’re just hanging around the room tonight,” she ordered. That was exactly my plan, but seeing as she was the boss and I was the mere servant, I asked
“What would you like me to do?”
“Explore. Text me later.”
And with that, she was gone. I groaned and flopped back down on the bed. The idea of getting dressed up and being social was unappealing. And before I knew it, I was asleep again. I knew it wasn’t helping me getting adjusted to the time difference, but I couldn’t help myself.
I woke up around 6:30 PM and ordered room service for dinner. I wasn’t sure what to get, so I went with something very plain - grilled cheese. I cracked open the prosecco and turned on the TV. I of course didn’t know any of the channels, and like I always did in hotels, lost the little slip that had all of the TV information. I decided to keep it on the channel it turned on to, and discovered a dating show where it seemed as if B list celebrities went on blind dates with “normal’ people. I sipped my prosecco every time an awkward moment happened, and felt a little buzz by the end of the second episode.
I whipped out my phone and connected to the hotel’s wifi. I mentally thanked myself for having an international plan during this trip when I remembered how much the phone calls to Nina would have been otherwise. After the wifi was set up, I felt inspired by the show and decided to go on Tinder. And by inspired, I meant a little drunk and wanted to see what was out there. Nina had told me to go out and explore, but I could do that from my phone, right? For tonight, at least.
I answered a few lingering messages I had from people in Boston, and forgot why I was even in the app in minutes. I closed it and went on to Facebook. My heart dropped. The first picture to pop onto my newsfeed was of my mom, dad, my sister, Ana, and my boyfriend, Jack. Well, her boyfriend now. I rolled my eyes. They were huddled together in our dining room. I knew it was our dining room because of the burgundy walls and the framed Van Gogh print hanging up.
Happy Family! So glad to spend Thanksgiving with everyone! I laughed at the caption.
“Everyone but me!” I said to no one. You see, I had no issue leaving my family for Thanksgiving, or any holiday, really. After Jack had cheated on me with Ana, my parents were less than comforting to me, and more than supportive to Ana. It was always that way, and thanks to some other injustices, I had had enough of it. It officially had been a year and a half since I had seen any of them outside of a facebook photo. I don’t even think they knew where I was. A weird wave of emotion crept up over me, and I blamed it on the prosecco.
To swallow the uneasy feelings, I swallowed more prosecco.
Maybe I should go out, I thought, feeling fired up. I then realized that I truly had no idea where I was, and wasn’t in the right mind to venture far from the hotel. I decided that I would visit the hotel bar instead. An elevator ride was something I could handle. I didn’t have time for a shower, but I washed my face in the sink, swiped on deodorant, and sprayed some dry shampoo through my hair. I then changed into a simple black t shirt dress, and swiped on some mascara and red lipstick. I glanced at myself one more time in the mirror before I left. My white blonde hair looked trendy in a messy bun, something I could never recreate sober, and the lipstick made complimented my pale skin, freckles and all. I winked at my reflection and headed to the lobby.