Slice of Life Story Challenge March 25 -This Hotel Room

Most weeks, I stay at least one night in a serviced apartment situated close to the schools where I regularly work. It is easier, less demanding, than driving back and forth each day. It saves spending up to 4 hours in my car each day. Usually, my wife Vicki also stays as part of her work as a educational consultant, as her work takes her to schools in the same area for part of the week. We usually catch up on Wednesday evenings at least. This week however, our work is taking us in different directions, so I am on my own.

Accommodation on your own is a somewhat empty experience. -No one there to greet you when you enter the room at the end of the day. This room has no familiar, comforting voices. No familiar artifacts in the room to remind you of the people you love and care for. It’s a shell; temporary and fleeting. It’s a room; not a home. An old song starts up in my head.

This Hotel Room Steve Goodman, 1975
Sung by Jimmy Buffett
 
They got an air conditioner for when I'm hot
A radiator for when I'm not
Two big chairs sittin' side by side
With a holy bible and the TV Guide
TV Guide
The TV Guide
Great God Almighty
It's the TV Guide
I gotta second story view from curb to curb
I gotta sign that reads "Do Not Disturb"
A monogrammed towel and a bucket of ice
A chest of drawers and a mirror that lies

Over the past couple of years we have stayed in almost every room in this complex at some stage- and guess what? They are almost identical. -Furniture arrangement, fittings and smell. When you enter, the smell of emptiness pervades. The sense that all day they have been denied fresh air.  The rooms are well presented, but the air that comes packaged with them is unquestionably tired and heavy. I throw open a sliding door, and the smell of the nearby ocean rushes in. The room gasps in appreciation. The staleness is chased out.

I can cook my dinner, but it’s difficult to be enthusiastic when you lack the ingredients you normally have at your fingertips. I’ll probably buy some take away Thai cuisine from a nearby restaurant. - Quick, easy and fresh.

I walk the grounds surrounding the complex.  Ah salvation! The birdlife is plentiful. Walking tracks are extensive. A panoramic view presents itself across the grassland to the sea. The wind is brisk; refreshing.  It proves beneficial to walk in the late afternoon and blow away the weariness that so often attaches itself to the working day.  I return with a sense of renewal.

Not long after I return from my walk, there is a knock at the window. I investigate. A black swan is enquiring as to my availability for a chat. I oblige. It breaks the sense of isolation.  


Comments

  1. Chris26 March 2013 at 05:54

    Neat post! I love the appearance of the swan at the end. Finally some company!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Donna Smith26 March 2013 at 06:06

    Hmmm. I posted today, but had a time in the back of my mind that was about a motel stay. It's a bit different take on it. Maybe I will write it tomorrow...
    Enjoy the swan company!

    ReplyDelete
  3. writekimwrite26 March 2013 at 06:30

    "The room gasps in appreciation". Your writing is pleasing and descriptive. This place seems lovely, especially the grounds and your welcomed visitor.

    ReplyDelete

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