My heart was pounding in my chest. There I was in a stranger’s house, and nobody knew where I was. Although I had messengered my mother to tell her that I had landed, I did not tell her what hotel I would be staying upon arrival because I was not privy to the name. I quickly stood up and walked to the sliding door that led to the balcony. I look out and saw a lady sitting on her balcony.
A white man walked in. He wore jean short and a white t-shirt. He said hello to me and walked to a room off to the side. What had I gotten myself in? This idea was a risky move on my part. I should have been in a hotel room somewhere here in Miami all by myself, not with strangers. Loria followed him into the room and closed the door. I could hear them talking, and his voice was getting louder and more aggressive. The argument was in regards to the children’s father. Lori told the man that the courts so ordered every other weekend.
I felt like an invisible intruder in a place I did not belong. Lori didn’t even show me to my room. At least I would have some separation from this chaotic environment. I walked out to the balcony and pulled the sliding doors, which tightly sealed in the noise. The lady next door looked up from the book she was reading, waved, and smiled at me. I sat on the wicker chair, sighed, and closed my eyes.
Lori shook my shoulders to get my attention. I must have fallen asleep because I didn’t hear her opened the door. “Are you okay?” she asked.
“I am okay,” I answered as I looked up at her. There were dried up tear tracks on her pale cheeks.
“Sorry that you had to witness that disturbance earlier. It is over now; come on inside.” With a wave of her hand, she directed me to get up.
The living room was clean of toys, and everything was in its place. Next to my suitcase was a bed-in-a-bag, a full-size. There was also an orange bath towel, a hand towel, and a packaged toothbrush. I believed this would be my bedroom tonight under the watchful eyes of Cinderella’s fairy godmother. I took a shower, and Lori took me out to see the nightlife in Miami.
That was so thoughtful of her. I misjudged her character by my first impression of her, but she turned out to be a lovely lady. Lori was the sister of Mr. Swanson at the agency. It was a family business passed down from their parents, but Mr. Swanson was more involved. Lori worked as a high school English teacher for four years. She was a divorced mother with two girls. She divorced two years now, and six months ago, she met Luke, the man who came to the house. But, they have been having frequent quarrels lately because of jealousy.
The trip into the city was refreshingly good for both of us. Being cooped up at home during the heights of COVID, I welcomed the idea of a night out. Although I was not a party girl, I enjoyed the nightlife. The lights, the people, and the food were different from where I lived. We had a good time as if we were old friends rekindling our friendship. That night in the air-filled bed, the fairy godmother’s wand sparkled. I closed my eyes. I wish this trip turns out to be a good experience, happily ever after.
I woke up on time and was able to have a cup of tea with Lori. Michael called to let us know that he was downstairs. Lori gave me a heartfelt hug. Although we’d only met a few hours ago, we established a connection like destiny brought us together. I felt saddened to leave so soon. We exchanged numbers, and I lugged my suitcase down the stairs to the waiting car. Michael got out of his car to help me with my luggage. I put on my mask and slid onto the back seat. This day was going to be a long drawn out 6 hours in flight. From Miami, there would be 2hrs 23 mins layover time in Charlotte, North Carolina, then arrived in Houston at 5:31 p.m. to meet Mrs. Nagy, my employer.