>>> Item number 10302 from WRITERS LOG9303D --- (420 records) ---- <<< Date: Tue, 23 Mar 1993 17:05:02 JST Reply-To: WRITERS Sender: WRITERS From: Mike Barker Subject: SUB: Belt and Suspenders This one's been kicking around my files for a while - any comments? (I sent this once to studguppy - but haven't sent it to this list before. apologies if anyone is seeing it for the second time:-) Note: for those of you who are interested in how stories get started, this one came from reading a hotel chain's ad patting themselves on the back about giving a normal employee an award for leaving their post and helping a guest. not much detail about what happened, and I got to wondering, so... I told myself a story. It might have been something like this. oh - I wrote this thinking of hotel employees, part-time workers, that kind of audience. If you know how to sell to that market, some hints would help (like who the heck to submit to?). hope you enjoy it mike ------------------------------------------------------------- BELT AND SUSPENDERS Copyright 1993 Mike Barker 3720 words I leaned back and stretched, handing a room service order to Gene. He glanced at it, then leaned closer. "Heard the rumors about the new manager?" I collapsed back into the chair. "No, what've you heard?" "I heard he's going to lay off some people. Told the front desk he wants to get the right people in the right positions. That always means they're getting ready to fire someone." I lifted the headset a little and scratched my ear. It always seems to itch under the plug where you can't scratch. "Guess he might. But right now you better get down to the kitchen and pick up that order. Should be ready now." "Ok. Hey, if we have time later, I thought of another suspender for us." "Like what?" "Did you ever notice how the trucks drive toward the restaurant, then swing around so they can back into the loading dock? Suppose one of them didn't stop and drove into the restaurant. What should we do?" I rubbed my back against the chair, then nodded. "Not bad. Now get that order. We'll talk about it later." He left. The bell on the phone rang, and I pushed in the button. "Room Service, may I help you?" There was a sniff from the other end. Then a choked voice said "Did.. could you cancel that meal?" "May I have your room number?" The other end was quieter than I would have expected. Oh, she wasn't running the T.V. like most people do. "I.. just a minute.." "It's right there on the phone. Miss, is something wrong? Do you need some help?" There was another sniff. I thought I heard her fumbling with something, then a honk. Louder than when Bill blows his nose. Sick or crying? "No, I'll be.. the numbers 302." I looked at the orders over the board. Busy night, so we were behind. There it is.. only a few minutes ago. I reached up and pulled it down. "Miss, I'll cancel your order right now. But are you sure? Are you feeling alright? Could I order something else for you?" "No, I'm fine. I just can't eat now." I looked at the order - a full meal, with wine. What happened in those few minutes? "Miss, I can get the hotel doctor up there if you like." I could almost hear her breathing - little gasps, choked sounds. "No, really. It's just that.. Are you married?" "Not yet. There's a guy, but I'm not sure yet." The breathing seemed to calm down. "If you want him, you do it. Promise me?" "Sure. But.." "It's.. my husband got hit, out in California. They just called me. He's.. they're not sure.. he might.." "You're going back then?" The crying sounds at the other end took too long to stop. "The airlines say the only flight leaves in 45 minutes. There's no way I could make that. Next flight is tomorrow morning." I thought about it. Say 30 minutes if the traffic was light, but this was Friday night. Every drunk in town would be blocking the way. Still.. "Miss, pack your bags. You're going on that flight. What's the airline?" "SouthWest, flight 549." I called the airline and they were happy to hold a seat for her. Must have been an empty flight. They said they'd straighten out the tickets later. I flicked the front and told them 302 was checking out. They sounded surprised. "Family emergency. Is she on a credit card?" "Uh.. yeah. Is this for real?" "Yeah, this one's real. Run the bill. She'll look at it on the way to the airport. I'll be going with her, so tell Gene to take my board." I cut them off and told a bell boy to hustle up to that room and wait outside for me. Then I called Bill and asked him to drive us. He started to grumble, "I'm on shift..." "Right, and there's a girl needs to be on a plane in 40 minutes. Her husband's dying out in California. Bill, she needs some special help." "I shouldn't.." "Bill, do it for me. OK?" I could imagine him looking at Pederson. Pederson would shrug his shoulders. Then Bill would look puzzled for a minute. "What flight?" "SouthWest 549." "Be there in a minute or two." I clicked the switch over to the desk and pulled my headset off. Running up the steps, I ran my hand through my hair, knowing it would be mashed and sweaty where the band ran across. No time to fix it now, though. The bell boy was waiting at the door. I knocked, then slipped inside with the pass key I'm not supposed to have. She had the bags ready and was sitting there, looking at her watch. She gasped as I stepped in. Her eyes and nose were red. "I'm a little young for a fairy godmother, but.. ready to go to California?" She stood up then. "How can we make it? It's too late.." I reached out, and hugged her. Then I held her at arms' length. "Never too late. Let's go." I picked up the bags and started out the door. I let the boy take them, while I took her arm. We whisked her through the halls and into the front. The new manager was standing behind the desk, looking very cold. I put my hand out. "Do you have the lady's bill ready?" He looked at my hand, then at me. "You.. who do you think you are?" "I'm the person that's making sure this lady gets her airplane." "Not until.." "Now, if you please. Or I'll sign for it tomorrow." The police siren whined up outside the door, and I glanced outside at the flashing lights. "That's our ride now. Give me the lady's bill, please." The new manager seemed stunned, but he lifted up some papers. I just grabbed them and her, then went outside. Pederson, Bill's partner, had the door open, and we tossed the bags in. Then she started to scramble in, and the bell boy started to say something. Pederson glared at him, and he dropped the hand he had put out. He walked backwards into the lobby. "Let's go." Bill ran the siren and lights all the way, pushing through the heavy traffic. I got her to scribble her name on the hotel copy of her bill, and stuffed her copy in her purse. She looked at me, her hair blowing in the breeze from the front windows. Then she looked at her watch and shook her head. "Look, Bill's good. If anyone can get you on that flight, he can. Trust us a little while, ok?" She put her hands together and looked forward at the traffic. Then she started talking about her husband and the plans they had. I didn't really listen, watching the cars as Bill pushed through them. When we got there, I looked at my watch. Too late. But Bill parked right in front of the terminal, and piled out of the car. He opened the door and winked at me. I tapped on my watch. He just handed us both out and grabbed the bags, then we were running. He leaned close and said "already buttoned that suspender" just before we reached the counter. He stopped there. "Still holding that plane for the police?" The airline attendant smiled at him. "You're the officer that called us? This way." They loaded us into a cart and we set off through the airport. I pinched Bill's arm and he looked at me. "When did you call them?" "On the way to pick you up. Thought warning them might help." "You might have told me." They ran her bags through the security check, and waved Bill and his partner around the partition. When we got to the gate, there were several airline people waiting. The one in uniform looked up. "This the passenger we're waiting on?" Bill stepped forward. "Yes. Now if you can get her aboard and out to California, she'll be very happy." The man took her arm and smiled at her. "The attendants will take care of your bags. I'll make sure you get settled, then I've got to get back up front and tell the copilot you're on board and we can get going." She looked around at everyone, then at me. I thought she was going to say something, but then she just hugged me. The man took her arm again and moved her into the loading chute. She looked back once to wave. Bill let go of my hand as we waved, then he took it again as the airline people came back. One of them smiled at me. I looked at the scheduled departure time on the board beside the gate. "How badly did this mess up your schedule?" The airline man laughed. "Well, really, we're running about twenty minutes behind schedule, but they're stacked up on the runways anyway. They'll probably take off just about the same time as they would have anyway. And the pilot said he could make it up easily." Bill squeezed my hand. "Can you tell the California end to help her get to the hospital? Her husband's in critical condition." The man scribbled something on the clipboard he was carrying. "Sure. You know the hospital?" I looked up at Bill, and he shrugged. "No. Maybe the flight attendants can find out." The man scribbled again. "Sure. Don't worry, we'll take care of her from now on. And thanks for alerting us to her late arrival. It would have been hard to run her out after the plane left the gate." We waited and watched the plane take off. Bill held my hand the whole time. When it took off, he turned and looked at me, his hand hooked in his belt. "Now, let's find out how much trouble we're in." Bill stopped in front of the hotel and got out for a minute. He looked into the lighted lobby. "Well, anything else I can do for you?" I put my hand on his shoulder and turned him to face me. "Kiss me now, and pick me up after work?" He leaned forward, stiffly. Then he suddenly laughed a little, put his arms around me, and let himself go. When he finished, I was awfully glad he had his arms around me. I would have fallen otherwise. "What was that about?" "That's for inviting me along tonight." I looked at his eyes, then at his grin. "Are you really going to be in trouble?" He laughed again. "Probably. We'll talk about it later, when I see what the Captain says about this little emergency run. But I'll tell you already, I don't regret it." As I stepped through the lobby, the kid they were training tried to make some kind of face at me. Probably warning me, but I didn't understand. I just headed for my cubbyhole. Gene had the headset on, but no lights on the board. As I stepped in, he heard it and turned around in the chair. "The boss wants to see you as soon as you come in. And he's royally P.O.'ed, friend, so watch yourself." I squeezed his shoulder, then went back out and into the manager's office. He was sitting at his desk, thumping his fist on the edge and staring at nothing. When I stepped in, his eyes flicked my way. He thumped his fist a few more times, then got up. "Well, thank you for coming in tonight. Have you finished whatever you were doing earlier?" I waited, and he gestured at a chair. "Alright, sit down and tell me what happened." As I ran through the story, he watched my face. He moved around to the front of his desk and leaned against it, hands flat on the top of it. I finished, and took a deep breath. He pushed himself up, then walked back toward his seat. "Let me get this straight. You're our room service operator, right?" "Yes." He sat down and leaned forward, hands together in front of him. "But when this lady explained her problem, you got everyone to jump and had her out of here in under five minutes. How'd you know what to do?" I almost grinned, but kept my face straight. "Mr. Stipe's suspenders." He sat back and looked puzzled. "My high school driver's ed teacher. He always told us he was a belt and suspenders man, but he never wore suspenders. If someone said anything, he'd stick his thumb in his belt and say 'Wear the belt, but depend on imaginary suspenders.'" The boss's face was still puzzled. "I'm not telling it very well. He meant you should use the seatbelt, emergency brake, and so on when you had to. But what you really depend on is imagining what might happen and figuring out what you'd do if it did. Then he'd make us do it, again and again out loud while driving. What would you do if... And if you said it couldn't happen, he'd just put his thumb on his chest and say one of his suspender's just broke." The boss grinned a little, then leaned forward again. "But.. what's that got to do with.." "What about tonight? I guess I got in the habit. It's a good way to liven up a boring job, and comes in handy sometimes, like tonight. I already knew most of the things I needed to do." "So you like to worry?" I twisted a little at that, wondering if he really believed it. "No. Matter of fact, that's why I practice suspenders, so I don't have to worry. If you've already figured out what to do, you don't have to waste time worrying like you do if you never think ahead." He thought about that for a minute. The first few times I'd had this argument with other people, I'd had to think about it too. He shook his head, and I guessed we'd talk about that another time. "Why did Gene know how to take over for you?" "Oh. Well, his job's pretty boring, too, so we practiced covering for each other. After all, once you figure out what it takes in an emergency, you set up the pieces you might need. Like.. a fire extinguisher." "What kind of emergencies have you thought up and practiced?" "Obvious ones, mostly. Fire, someone needs a doctor, stuff like that." "And the police?" I looked at my feet, then raised my head again. "My boyfriend. He's a policeman, and he's usually on patrol around this area." He lifted a file laying on his desk. "You know, when you left, I was upset. First I checked around, and found out that everything was running very smoothly. Nobody upset except me. Then I got your file out and looked at it. High school graduate, several small jobs. When you came in, I was ready to fire you. Lots of replacements that won't order me around." I bit my lip. He noticed it and raised his hand. "I said I was ready to do that. Do your suspenders cover that, too?" He looked at me, his head tilted a little. "Well, yeah. I've got some money in the bank, and there's a place near me that's been looking for a telephone operator. Don't worry, I'll find something." This time he did laugh. "I'm sure you would. That's good, because I want Gene to finish the night at your job." I shook my head, then took a deep breath and started to stand up. "I guess that mean's I'm finished here." He stood up, too. "Only if you want to quit. Otherwise, come back tomorrow afternoon, about 4, and we'll start figuring out your new job." I felt my ears pop as my jaw dropped. "That's right. Anyone who can get the night shift to handle an emergency without a misstep, and even make the normal shifts interesting - I'll find a place for you. Probably something like assistant manager in charge of Emergency Coordination. Set up your own schedule - maybe to match your boyfriend's shifts. And you'll be on the management pay schedule - that's a big step up from night shift operator. Sound good?" The roaring in my ears must have been from the night air blowing through the police car on the way back. "I.. thank you. Yes. It sounds very good." I must have stumbled out of his office somehow. I dropped in and made sure Gene could handle the rest of the night. The rush was pretty well over, and he said it wouldn't be any problem. But he wanted to know what happened, so I told him about it. I called Bill when I got home and told him where I was. He said he'd finish his shift and stop by. So I put on coffee and watched reruns, letting the day slip through my head. When he knocked, I checked through the peephole, then opened the door. He looked real serious, so I just let him come in. He'd changed clothes at the station. As he settled into his favorite chair, I poured coffee. "Bill, I've got a surprise for you." He rubbed his forehead, then said "Uh, huh. You got any coffee?" I set the mug of coffee in front of him and sat down across from him. He stared into it, then reached out and lifted it into his lap. "Alright, how bad is it? Are you suspended? off the force? What?" He swirled the coffee, then raised the mug and gulped some down. "At the end of shift, the Captain wanted me in the briefing room. When I got there, he had almost the whole shift sitting there. He waved me to a seat and we waited while a couple more came in. Then the sergeant came in and nodded at the Captain." "So he told you off in front of everyone?" "Let me finish. He called me up front, told me to face the group. Then he went down the list - improper use of police vehicle, improper procedure - whatever someone could say. Then he asked me if this list was correct. I said yes sir." Bill gulped from the mug again. I squeezed my hands on the edge of the chair. "Then he looked out over the whole bunch, turned to me, and told me he was proud of me. Said we were there to serve the people, but it was easy to forget that. He told me he was just sorry there wasn't a medal, but.. he shook my hand, then called the room to attention and had them salute me." Bill smiled for a moment, then looked serious again. "So you're not in trouble?" "Not with the Captain, at least. But.." And he sipped from that mug again. "What?" "Well, you're always telling me to check my suspenders, right?" "Yeah?" "After running that lady to the airport, the rest of the shift was quiet. So I let Pederson drive and I checked my suspenders. Problem is, I want to trade one of them for a belt." He set the mug down, and looked at me. "I must be tired. What are you talking about?" "Well, really, I want to turn one of my suspenders into a ring. I know we haven't got a lot to work with, but I think we can make a marriage work if you want to. What.. what do you think?" He stared at that mug as though it might jump off the coffee table at him. I did jump out of my seat, and he looked up in time to catch me. I smiled at him. "I'd love to try." "You don't need to think about it? Hell, a cop's salary isn't much to live on. Plus, whatever work you get, our shifts are bound to differ a lot." "This is one suspender that I've already worked over a lot. Yes, I'll marry you. Now kiss me." When the shivers stopped, I realized that all he knew was I'd come home before the end of my shift. So I cuddled up and ran a hand down his side. "Bill?" He nuzzled my neck. It made it harder to think straight. "Bill, do you mind if we have two salaries to live on instead of just yours?" He lifted his head and looked at me. Funny, I'd never noticed the fine hairs on his nose before. "Are you talking about looking for work now? Worried about it?" I kissed his nose, then ran my hand through his hair. "No, Bill. But I told you I had a surprise." He looked blank for a minute while he thought back. Then he shook his head. "You did, and I didn't even ask. Alright, what's your surprise?" "You want a full report, or just the punchline?" He rubbed his forehead. "Just the punchline now. Some other time you can give me the whole thing." I set up a little straighter and looked at him. "Well, you're holding the hotel's newest assistant manager in your arms." He took a minute to catch on, then he kissed me again, one of those long pauses when the rest of the world disappears. "You like assistant managers, maybe?" He held me at the end of his arms and shook his head. "Wrong. I love you, that's all. You and your suspenders." And then he kissed me again. The End