THE GREAT SHOCK – CHAPTER 4

George and Elle sat rigidly in their chairs.  No one was supposed to know where they are.

Whoever was at the door knocked again.  Again, they heard the words, “Room Service!”

George tiptoed to the door.  He put his whole weight against it, prepared for a body to bulldoze into the room, and then opened it just a crack.  “We didn’t order any room service!”

He opened it a little more to see a uniformed waiter standing there with a tray.  He could see the tray with the bottle and two flutes. 

“Yes sir, I know!  Standard procedure for all of our guests when they arrive.  Complements of the house.

George reached in his pocket for some bills and opened the door just a bit further.  He thanked the server, handed him the bills and told him to set the tray down on the floor in front of the door. 

“Elle, come over here and keep your eye on the hallway, while I bring this in.”

Elle obeyed.  George set the tray on the table and went back to assure himself that the door was locked up tight.

“We’re not going to drink that, are we?” Elle peered into the top of the champagne bottle. It looked sealed, but who could tell?  She turned it upside down.  A little drop of liquid landed on the tray.  Then another one.  She looked over at George, who was staring at the drops on the tray. 

“Faulty manufacturing?” George asked lightly. 

“Great little stab at humor.” Elle hugged herself.  “Brr..  I’m cold…  can we turn up the heat a little?  And, George!  I just realized I have nothing!  No toothbrush, no clothes!”

“I’ll go down to the gift shop and get you some stuff.”

She smiled at him.  “I am so sorry I’ve dumped you into this mess.  You’ve been so great and so patient.”

“Elle, you know how I feel about you.  You know I would do anything for you.  I will stand by you. Remember that.  And don’t worry.  I’m not going to force you to love me back.  I’m just glad to hang with you.”

“George, you are a gem.”

“I know. “He smiled and grabbed the room key.  “I’ll be back,” he said, Terminator style.

Elle laughed.  “OK, Arnold!”  she replied in that same tone.

George shut the door on his way out and she could hear him whistling down the hall.   

Elle pulled back the bed spread of the nearest of the two queen size beds and yanked off the blanket underneath.  “Hmmm…  soft!” she thought, “and beautiful sheets!  They look like bamboo.  How nice!” She wrapped the blanket around her and returned to the easy chair. Reverting to habit, she sat sideways in the chair, kicked off her flip flops and pulled her bare feet up under her.  Warm and cozy, she stared with half-closed eyes at the river.  A yacht floated lazily by and she dozed.

She was bolted out of her reverie by George’s arrival with several shopping bags. 

“Look what I brought you!  See if these are ok.”  He began emptying the bags out onto the bed.  Elle watched as the items tumbled out:  black yoga pants, black and white shimmery tunic top, black velvet hair band with a little jewel on one side, one package of underwear, an oversized bright red T-shirt,  a bag of some sort of chocolate, two bottles of diet Pepsi, tooth brush, tooth paste, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, comb, brush, hairdryer, and a smaller bag of little objects.  Elle looked in the bag of chocolate.

“Ohhh!  Are these maple truffles?  Yum!  And what’s in this little bag?  Oh, George, mascara?  Blush? Lipstick?”   She was laughing.  “You know that the hotel room probably has a hair dryer?  But, oh, George, you are an angel!”

George grinned.  “I know that.  I am relieved to know that YOU know that!” He felt his stomach. “Do you hear those rumblings?  I am starving!  How about some room service?  Or a pizza?  What will you have mademoiselle?  I am at your service.”

Elle felt an unusual surge of love for this guy.  She’d always loved him, but like a brother.  He’d always been there for her at the end of every failed relationship.  She’d always shied away from a romance with him because there was always the possibility of it turning out badly and that would just devastate both families.  And she would die without George in her life.  She mentally smacked herself in the head and silently told herself to shut up.

“Uhh, I think Pizza!  Yes!  Pizza!” 

George pulled out his cell phone.  Then he stopped.  “Hmm…  Maybe I should use the landline…”  He looked up the number on his cell and then dialed with the hotel land line.  Stuffed crust pepperoni and olive, bread sticks, and giant chocolate chip cookie ordered, he hung up the phone just as his cell phone rang. 

“Hey, Georgie!  Are you ok?  Oh, good.  What did you get?  Yah?  Oh, that is great!!!  Did you run it all out to Jack?  Oh, Good man!!!  I owe you big time!!!  What?  Oh, yes, of course!  Topgolf.  You name the day!  It’s a deal!  Thanks, man!

George flopped in the other chair next to Elle.  “Are you ok?”

She smiled at him.  You are working overtime to make sure, arent’ you?”

“It’s no big deal.  We’re in this together.  Even if we weren’t, we still would be.”

Elle laughed.  “I can’t believe I get that, but I do!

A loud knock on the door froze them into silence.

“Oh,” George whispered, “pizza…  But just to be safe…” he grabbed an unopened sack from the pile on the bed and pulled out what looked like a gun.

“George!” Elle shrieked.

“Shhhhhh!!!”  George hissed.  “It’s just a taser!”  He tiptoed to the door and listened.  “Who is it?” 

“Pizza!!!”  came the response.

George flung the door open and three men blew like a hurricane into the room.

Elle screamed and George landed on the floor squeezing the taser trigger with his eyes shut. 

“Aaaarrrgh” they heard from the lucky recipient of the 50,000 volts.

When George opened his eyes, Jeff was on the floor convulsing.  Mutt was staring down at him in horror.  Butch was kneeling on the floor attempting to breathe life back into the pizza which was permanently attached to the inside cover of the box.  Elle was on the floor on the other side of the bed. 

“You’ve killed him!!” Mutt grabbed George by collar of his shirt and screamed again down into his face, “You’ve killed him!” 

George’s face turned slightly green and he turned his head to the side to escape some serious stinky breath. 

He pushed Mutt away and said disgustedly, ‘He’s not going to die!”

“He might wet his pants, though and what a tragedy that would be.’ Elle oozed sarcasm.

George managed to get to his feet and headed over to where Butch was still trying to save the pizza. He grabbed a fist full of Butch’s shirt. “Man, you have caused more trouble for more people in one day than Attila the Hun did in his whole career!!  What is the matter with you?  Do you have any inkling of how much trouble you are in??”

Butch stepped back and slapped George’s hand off his shirt.  “It’s none of your business, Buster.  Stay out of the this!”

Ell pointed her finger at Butch.  “He’s in it right along with you because of your foolishness, Butch, and he’s right.  You are in deep doo doo mister.”

Jeff had finally come out of his little charged up episode and he was angry.  “Enough of the chatter,” he bellowed. “This is the end of the road for all of you!  Give us the black book and do it right now!  All of you get over to that side of the room.  Move!!  Who has the book?  I am asking for the last time!  I’m going to count to ten and Butch goes first.”