Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
NYROBI
By the end of my second week, I had finally gotten my first paycheck. I ain't even wait until I got home to look at it. The second that deposit hit my account, I was standing inside the employee bathroom checking my balance.
"Thank you, Jesus."
It wasn't enough to change my life, but it was enough to keep the lights on. I paid the electric bill right there. Then I stared at what was left.
"Damn."
That part wasn't nearly as exciting. Still, the bill was paid. My mama had her medicine. There was food at home. And the Buick had been acting like it had some sense. I wasn't complaining.
I put my phone away and headed back upstairs.
Ariel was waiting outside the suite we'd been assigned.
"You took a shit or moved into the bathroom?"
"I got paid."
Her face lit up.
"Okayyyy!"
I laughed.
"Girl, I already spent half that shit."
"Welcome to adulthood."
"I hate it here."
She handed me a pair of gloves.
"Come on, rich bitch."
"Don't piss me off."
We went inside. The suite was huge, but whoever stayed there hadn't left much of a mess.A couple towels on the floor. Room service dishes. Bed unmade. Nothing too crazy.
We split up without even discussing it.
That was another thing I'd gotten used to.
Ariel handled one side. I handled the other.
I was wiping down the nightstand when I saw something underneath the edge of the bed.
At first I thought it was a phone. I bent down and picked it up.
"Well damn."
A watch. And not no Walmart watch either. I didn't know shit about watches, but I knew expensive when I saw it.
Ariel looked over.
"What you got?"
I held it up.
Her eyes widened.
"Oh, shit."
"This real?"
"Girl, I don't know. Don't touch nothing else."
"I'm already holding it."
"You know what I mean."
I looked at it again.
"What we do?"
"Call Tia."
I reached for the room phone.
Ariel stopped me.
"Use the radio."
"Why?"
"Because if the guest calls looking for it, they need to know we found it before anybody can say it disappeared."
That made sense.
I called Tia.
She was upstairs within ten minutes.
"What happened?"
I handed her the watch.
"Found it under the bed."
She looked at it.
Then at me.
"You know what this is?"
"A watch."
Ariel laughed.
Tia didn't.
"A Rolex."
My eyes widened.
"For real?"
"For real."
"How much?"
"Enough."
I looked at Ariel.
"Damn."
Tia placed it inside a small clear bag she'd brought with her and wrote the room number on it.
"You did exactly what you were supposed to do."
"I wasn't finna take it."
"I know."
She looked at me.
"Not everybody would've called."
"Then everybody stupid. Ain't no watch worth losing my job and going to jail."
That finally made her smile.
"Finish the room."
"Yes, ma'am."
She left.
I looked at Ariel.
"How much you think it cost?"
"Probably more than your Buick."
I stared at her.
"Why my car gotta catch strays?"
She laughed.
"I'm just saying."
"Fuck you."
We went back to work.
I didn't think anything else about the watch until later that afternoon when Tia called me downstairs.
I walked into her office and found her sitting behind the desk.
A man I hadn't seen before was standing beside her.
"Nyrobi, this is Mr. Bennett. He's our hotel manager."
"Nice to meet you."
"You too."
He smiled.
"I wanted to personally thank you for turning in the watch from 1608."
"Oh. No problem."
"The guest called about twenty minutes ago. He was very relieved."
"I bet."
Mr. Bennett laughed.
"That particular watch is valued at a little over thirty thousand dollars."
My mouth fell open.
"Thirty THOUSAND?"
Tia smiled.
"Yep."
I put my hand on my chest.
"See, now I'm glad I ain't know that when I found it."
They both laughed.
"I'm serious. I would've been scared to hold the damn thing."
Mr. Bennett extended his hand.
"Integrity matters here. We appreciate yours."
I shook his hand.
"Thank you."
"And Mrs. Stylez was made aware."
I frowned.
"Mrs. Stylez?"
"Tia happened to be speaking with her when the guest called."
"Oh."
"She asked who found it."
I nodded.
"Okay."
I didn't think much of it. I mean why would I?
I did what anybody with some damn sense should've done. At least that's what I thought.