17. The Hotel
The lights of downtown Portland shone through the windows and illuminated Jenkins’s sleepy face. He stirred and rubbed his eyes, blinking away sleep.
“Where are we?” He slurred as he looked around wide eyed.
“Portland, we are almost to the hotel, and I can’t talk anymore because I need to focus because I’m about to burst.” Kinley spoke fast and used all her breath before she resumed her stiff posture.
They pulled up to a six-story building. The gray stone reached the top of the second floor and the small windows scattered across light colored brick. Tall chimneys jutted into the night sky and puffed white smoke up, inviting patrons to the warmth waiting inside.
Kinley and Jenkins pressed their faces against their windows. Their hot breath left fog on the glass barrier, their eyes wide and mouths slack. Darla felt as though she was experiencing a brand-new hotel for the first time as she watched the kids react in wonder.
“I remember the first time I arrived in Hollywood after leaving New Orleans. It’s really quite something the first time you see a building like this.” Kinley just nodded, keeping her eyes on the building.
Two men approached, one to open Kinley's car door, and Jenkins tumbled out behind his sister. The man then promptly retreated to the trunk to retrieve Darla’s suitcases.
The other man met Darla outside her door.
She didn’t wait for him to open it for her and she handed him her car key, and he handed her a piece of paper.
“What was that?” Jenkins asked as they watched her car drive away to the lot and the suitcases were loaded onto the bell cart. Kinley stood staring up at the lights of the building. Her neck was curled all the way backwards to make the stretch to see all the way to the top.
“It is my ticket to claim my car when I’m ready.” Darla turned to the revolving door and gave a generous push, engaging the swing to allow the doors to move in a circle. Once inside, she watched as Kinley and Jenkins entered the revolving door together and tiptoed as the door swung around.
Darla was already at the front desk checking in when they caught up with her. The longer they were with Darla, the younger they looked, so helpless and innocent. Darla’s chest tightened, and she was desperate to get them upstairs and safe, away from the world they knew.
“There is a bathroom over there past that big aquarium. Why don’t you go together to relieve yourselves, and I will get us checked in.
Don’t wander off though. Just come straight back here.
” Darla’s motherly instincts kicked in, and it felt natural, the way it was when she was Jane, when she’d raised her daughter Lizzie.
Kinley’s face lit up at the promise of relief. She grabbed her brother’s hand and dragged him towards the bathroom.
Darla watched them as they walked off hand in hand, and her heart ached at all the years she had spent alone, avoiding the extra effort of having a family in her pursuit of financial stability.
Now that I have made it, maybe there is room in my life to care for them as my own.
The front desk attendant appeared from the back office and gave Darla a warm smile. Her brown eyes crinkled as the smile reached all the way to the edges and her matching brown hair bounced around in tight curls.
“Hi, I’m Claire. Are you checking in?”
“Hi, Claire. Yes. The reservation should be under Samson, first name Darla.”
“Welcome! We’re so happy you will be staying the evening with us. Were you interested in extending your stay for an additional evening?” Claire beamed, exuding all the earmarks of excellent customer service.
“Unfortunately, I am just passing through for the night. I am on a tight schedule and will be staying in another one of your hotels in another city tomorrow night.”
“Well, we’re happy to have you choose us for your lodging needs. Just give me a moment to complete your check-in, and I can get the bellhop to get your bags up into your room.” Claire disappeared to the office behind the desk.
Kinley and Jenkins reappeared by her side.
Their clothes would need to be addressed first thing tomorrow morning.
Jenkins’s right shoe had a hole over his pinky toe, and there was a large tear in the hem of his shorts which also looked to be two sizes too big for him.
Kinley’s outfit didn’t look much better with the grease stains.
Neither outfit was suitable for the chilly spring weather.
Darla watched as Kinley looked around at the high ceilings and the chandelier that hung in the center of the expansive room.
Jenkins wandered over to the center of the lobby, his face plastered up against the large fish tank.
He watched as the fish circled around in the bubbly water.
They both looked like they needed a proper bath and food.
Kinley joined Jenkins in watching the fish swim in circles.
Claire returned from the back office and brought Darla out of the mental inventory she was taking for the children’s needs.
“I am sorry, Ms. Samson. I forgot to ask you for your identification, and will you be joining us for breakfast in our dining room, or would you prefer to have a breakfast sampler sent to your room?
“Breakfast in our room would be great. Please just make sure they send enough for all three of us.” Darla handed her identification card to Claire and gave the kids a reassuring smile. “Is it possible we can have some sandwiches delivered up to the room tonight as well?”
At the mention of food, the kids perked up and whispered amongst themselves.
“Of course, Ms. Samson. And as a courtesy, we have upgraded you to our Royal Suite, Room 601. We appreciate your patronage, and please let me know if there is anything we can do to make your stay with us more comfortable.”
Darla took the key from Claire’s outstretched hand. “Thank you so much for taking such good care of us.” Darla grabbed her purse from the counter. “Follow me, kids.”
Kinley grabbed Jenkins and dragged him from the fish tank falling in line behind Darla. Their worn-out sneakers squelched against the polished floors.
Darla followed the signs to the elevators and pushed the button. The elevator bell dinged, and the doors opened. Once inside Darla pushed the button next to the sixth floor. The elevator ascended, and Kinley grabbed the handrail while Jenkins clung to his sister.
“Have either of you ever been inside an elevator before?” Darla asked, an eyebrow raised.
“No, we have lived in that small town all our life. Our parents both loved drugs and alcohol. They didn’t exactly focus on taking us to fancy hotels,” Kinley huffed and brushed some dark strands from her face.
She stood taller, adjusting to the elevator’s slow climb.
“They died a few years ago,” she stated in a matter-of-fact way.
“And now?” Darla encouraged.
“Well, now we live with my Uncle Ted in his small trailer. He made me start working when I was twelve. The diner was the only place that would take someone so young. But I had to prove myself.” Kinley looked at Darla. “He told me my only value was in how much money I could make for him.”
“And Jenkins?” Darla looked down at the round and wide bright blue eyes, still unsure of the moving box.
“He has been sickly since he was young. Our uncle wanted him to work in the diner, too, but I told him I would make enough for both of us. Don’t touch that.” Kinley pulled Jenkins’s small hand away from the call button below all the floor options.
Darla could see that there was a sadness deep in Kinley’s expression. A deep wound had been made by this man.
Am I capable of switching with someone who has been through so much already? The more I learn about these kids, the more I want to help them completely. Her stomach knotted at the thought.
Kinley looked down at her feet. “I overheard him telling his friends that when I was a little older, he would share me with them, but for a high price.” Darla felt her stomach drop.
“I understand why you made the decision to leave so easily. It sounds like you have had a rough life. I hope that you will allow me to help you find a new life, a better life, one you kids deserve.” Darla looked carefully at Kinley. She reminded her so much of her own daughter, Lizzie.
Her small face was perfectly round with soft pink cheeks, although they were covered with a slight layer of dirt.
If Darla closed her eyes long enough, she knew she would be transported back to her time as Jane, watching her little Lizzie running around in her patterned dress as she sat on the porch quilting.
No looking back. No matter how much I miss Lizzie, I have to live in the future … I wonder if these scruffy kids could be my future.
The elevator bell dinged again, and the doors opened leading to a wide hallway styled with maroon and gold accents.
The deep burgundy carpet ran across the walkway and halfway up the walls before changing to a floral-patterned wallpaper adorned with gold accents and white flowers.
Halfway down the hallway was a narrow table with a gold lamp, an ashtray, and a stack of newspapers.
Kinley dragged her fingers across the carpet on the walls. Jenkins kept both hands wrapped around his sister’s free arm.
“Carpet on the walls?” Kinley shook her fingers as though the carpet burned her fingertips. “So strange.”
Darla shrugged. “Must be a new interior design feature.” The trio reached the door to their room and the brass key slid in and turned easily under Darla’s confident hands.
“Okay kids, brace yourselves.” Darla smiled as she turned the doorknob, opening the door to a sprawling suite.
Both Kinley and Jenkins stood in the doorway, shoulder to shoulder, as they took in the room.
Darla squeezed by them as she picked up her luggage that sat neatly in the foyer.
The room was bathed in a soft cream as the various lamps made the room look like a giant bowl of vanilla ice cream. The carpet and ceilings both had matching square patterns with a variety of light shades of brown mixed with the cream color.
The living room boasted two fireplaces opposite each other, and two long couches filled the space in between.
One of the walls that housed a fireplace was affixed to separate the main bedroom area from the living room, and it boasted a king-sized bed adorned with a sea of cream and gold-accented blankets and pillows.
I’m amazed at how nice this suite is, Darla thought, as she hoisted her largest suitcase onto a small, knee-high dresser. She heard the door close and the hushed whispers from Kinley.
“Don’t touch anything, Jenkins. Remember what Momma used to say: hands in pockets, clear conscience.”
Darla smiled to herself as she dug around to find her toiletries.
“Kinley, could you please come in here?” Darla called out and Kinley appeared in the opening. Her distressed waitress outfit complete with grease stains and dirt was a stark reminder that she was in a place she didn’t belong.
“We didn’t touch anything, Miss.” Kinley’s blue eyes shone bright with innocence, and she twisted her hands together.
Darla waved her hand at her. “Oh, don’t worry about that. I just realized we should have at least stopped to get your toiletries.” She held up her own toothbrush with a little flourish. Kinley looked down at her worn converse.
“We didn’t have any,” she mumbled under her breath. Her voice was shaky as though punishment was imminent.
Her mind flashed back to her own Lizzie and how she broke one of her favorite serving dishes. Lizzie had confessed right away, but the image of how she cowered in fear of retribution was the same as how Kinley stood before her.
Darla’s shoulders softened, and in that moment, all she wanted was to wrap Kinley up in her arms and snuggle together in a comfy blanket.
“Oh, Kinley dear, it’s all right. We will get one for both you and your brother tomorrow when we get you some new clothes. Don’t you worry about that right now. You are safe here, and I am going to take care of you.”
Darla looked up and saw that Jenkins had joined them in the room. His blue eyes peeked up at her through the black hair falling into his face.
“We are going to be like a little family, just the three of us.”
The kids threw themselves into a group hug with her, and as they held each other, she realized she hadn’t enjoyed being hugged since Lizzie. This small declaration carried so much weight. Darla felt a lump form in her throat as her thoughts almost betrayed her resolve.
What a strange turn of events. I thought I found a suitable person to switch with, and instead I have found a new purpose in my life, she thought as she pressed her cheek against the top of Kinley’s head. She allowed herself a moment to pretend she was holding Lizzie once more.