Night Auditor

Meredith (9)

"I can't believe Miss Ester is gone!"

It had been three hours since Olivia had left the hotel. Amy, delighted by the offer for her family to stay in the hotel through the hurricane, couldn't help but sob for old Miss Ester who had been a dear friend to her.

Ester Aguinaldo, as Amy explained, had worked for Olivia's family for several decades as the hotel's night auditor. An immigrant herself, Miss Ester was taken in by the Santos families who saved her from deportation back to the Philippines. Since then, the Filipino lady had been at the hotel without skipping a day's work.

"That woman's a workaholic," Amy reminisced. "She practically ran this hotel herself. Every time one of us was sick, Miss Ester would be there to cover. Don't matter if she just worked a shift or, hell, even a double. She never said no to Miss Olivia."

"She was grateful," said Richard, sitting across from me as he sipped on his chamomile tea. "She knows a good family when she sees one, and the Santos family knows a good woman when they meet one. Not a lot of loyalty going around these days. Miss Ester is a rare gem."

"Santos family?"

"Oh yes didn't I tell you?" said Amy. "Olivia's family is from the Philippines. This estate has been under the Santos name for as long as anyone can remember."

"That's why they helped Miss Ester in the first place," said Richard. "At least I think so. Fellow countrymen helping each out out in a foreign country. I'd do the same. At least I think so."

"Huh," I muttered, regretful for even assuming Olivia was anything but her true ethicity.

The dining hall lights flickered overhead before it was followed by a loud banging of window shutters hitting the wall.

"This hurricane seems worse than last year," Richard said.

"Ahuh, ain't no better way of welcoming a guest such as Meredith than this." She turned to me and said, "I promise you our town is usually nicer than this."

"I don't mind it at all especially if I'm in the company of new friends."

"Excuse me," a man, who I recognized as Ron Petrie, stood by the entrance of the dining hall. "But does anyone know when this shit weather might be over?"

Ron Petrie was still wearing a suit (decent navy blue this time compared to the vomit-inducing beige suit he wore that morning), his hair neatly gelled back to the sides like he was a Jet about to do a solo jazz dance. I never noticed his elevated cheek bones until now.

"Sorry sir," said Richard. "Might be a while. A few days at least."

"A few days?" A few goddamn days?!" Petrie, once again, was fuming. Not over the lack of breakfast options this time but for the incovenience Mother Nature had bestowed upon him.

"Is there anything I can offer you to make your stay more comfortable?" asked Amy. "Extra pillows and a thick blaket maybe?"

"I did ask for extra towels about--" the arrogant prick glanced at his wrist watch, "--two hours ago. Let's start with that, shall we?"

Amy, who had been working by herself all day and knowing for sure that this request was never made two hours ago, answered, "Of course, Mister Petrie. I do apologize for the inconvenience. Let me go ahead and take care of that for you."

"What a shit town," Petrie muttered under his breath before retreating back into the main hallway.

Without a word, Amy and Richard looked at each other, as they'd probably done so a million times before when faced with a bratty guest, before Amy left the room to take care of Ron Petrie's request.