Dad’s Hotel
Before I knew that it would be gone, I played in the hotel’s courtyard and wished that it was autumn. I loved the fall because the elm tree in the courtyard would always turn the richest shades of yellow, orange, and red. I would lay beneath the tree and look at clouds in the window’s reflection.
When autumn finally came around, dad’s work days got longer and longer. Mom told me that the hotel was getting busier, but that he was ok. I remember the bags drooping under his eyes like a bloodhound’s. On Halloween, I got home from school and put on my SpongeBob costume with the spatula and the white hat with the anchor on it. I showed mom and she laughed and took pictures and made me SpongeBob shaped mac and cheese. I waited and waited to show dad the costume but that was the first night that he didn’t come home.
The next morning, I woke up and found him on the couch. He had a tattered blue tied-blanket pulled up to his chin and his pale yellow skin was peaking through the gaps. I wanted to wake him up, but I worried that he would never wake up. Before my Eggo waffles popped up from the toaster, mom rushed over and pulled me by my ear up to my room. I sat on the floor confused with my stomach rumbling while mom yelled and screamed at him downstairs.
Over dinner, dad announced that he was going to spend less time at the hotel. It wasn’t his first time declaring that he would spend more time at home. Mom’s eyes rolled in contempt, but I believed him this time. The next day, dad didn’t leave the house because “Sunday is now a day of rest.” We watched the first 3 Harry Potter movies back to back to back while we ate popcorn, hot dogs, and ice cream. I begged to start the next movie, The Goblet of Fire, but he insisted that it was not only my bedtime, but his too. The next morning I woke up to scrambled eggs, french toast, and bacon. I didn’t need to take the school bus that day because dad drove me on his way to the hotel. Near the end of the day my teacher, Miss Schurke, waddled over to me and informed me that I wasn’t taking the bus home that day. The routine of him dropping me off at school, going to the hotel, then picking me back up, continued up until my winter break started.
Every year we put up our fake Christmas tree the minute I got home from my last day of school. We would listen to Mariah Carey even though my dad hated it. Every day of break dad made the usual elaborate breakfast. Then, if it was any day other than Sunday, he would head off to work and come back exactly 9 hours later. Since mom was a stay at home mom, she usually made me do some painting, reading, or sledding outside. At first, I hated both the painting and the reading and would only pretend to read. After a week, I started reading I Survived the Japanese Tsunami and that book was much more interesting to me. I finished that one in a couple days before I read another book in the series. At night time we would all eat dinner as a family and then eat ice cream while watching Christmas movies. On Christmas Eve my mom set out the presents from her and dad, and I got to open one of them. As I slowly peeled off the wrapping paper it revealed an Xbox controller. I cried tears of joy as I drifted off to sleep because I always wanted an Xbox, and I knew that Santa would bring me one on Christmas.
When I woke up I darted down the stairs as quickly as I could, but dad was gone and mom was crying. Mom told me that there was a fire at the hotel around four in the morning. I begged to see the hotel so mom drove me there in the van. I remember seeing the rich shades of yellow, orange, and red screaming from each window as the elm tree fell to the ground. After the quiet car ride home, we wept as I opened my gifts in the cold, damp basement. A week later my parents sold the Xbox and it wasn’t too long before we had to put a mattress in the van.
