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- 08/24/2021
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Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
Coquina Hotel - 6. Chapter 6
As I sat at that table thinking about that lodge, I looked up, and there was Joseph. I don’t think he recognized me. I had aged a few years, and I had lost all of that extra weight. The workouts at the gym were paying off.
“Hi, you new in town?”
“No, I lived here a long time ago.” I realized that Joe didn’t remember me. I decided to play along and see what would happen.
He sat down, across from me. I ordered a coffee, asked him if he wanted something to drink. He orders a mixed drink, just like he did when I was buying.
The waiter brought our drinks, and Joe started to flirt with the waiter than with me. “Knock it off, Joseph. You know I’m spoken for.”
Joe just laughed. Then he turned his attention to me. Joe was a good-looking guy. He knew it and played it to his advantage.
As we sat there, he kept looking around, never asked me my name, but suggested we could have some fun. “I have a room not far from here. It’s kinda private.”
“What kind of fun would we have?”
When I said that, he moved closer and began to rub my leg. His hand kept going higher and higher. When he was close to my crutch, I stopped him. “Joseph, you haven’t changed. My name is Roger, does that ring a bell?”
He looked at me, and then his expression changed. He got up and left. The waiter came back, “What happened, Roger?”
“Joseph just remembered who I am.”
“That must have been a shock to him. He’s not in a relationship. He’s in several relationships, all at the same time. He’s earned the name, ‘One night.’ Most of the guys here know it and take advantage of him. It’s a shame.”
“I felt sorry for him. I knew he was cheating on me, I ignored it until one night I went home, and he had another guy in bed with him. He laughed at me. That is when I left.”
“Where have you been, and you have lost a lot of weight.”
“I brought a hotel on the coast. I’m on my way to check out a lodge in the mountains. How are you doing?”
“I’m a part-owner in this cafe, and the owner is my boyfriend. We have an apartment on the second floor. I’m happy, and business is good.”
“I’m glad to hear that. So Jim is your boyfriend, he’s a nice guy. I think he was the only one who turned Joe down. I'm sure Joe was upset about that.”
“Yes, and he still tries.”
“He will never change. Here is a brochure from my hotel. If you and Jim ever get a break, come and see me.”
The following day I left for the lodge. I arrived in the early evening, and they had a room for me. The owner, Mr. Metendorf, brought me a plate of food since I missed my dinner. The food looked appetizing, but I wasn’t hungry. We sat and talked while I pushed the food around on the plate. Occasionally, I would take a bite. When he left, I still had 3/4th of the food on the plate. Opening the window, I went to bed.
In the morning, I went to the lodge’s office. I wanted to look at the books and review their operations. Mr. Metendorf brought me a cup of coffee and a breakfast plate. Sitting at his desk, he began to tell me about the operation of the lodge. I was surprised to learn that the lodge did not operate year-round. They opened for the summer vacation crowd and in the fall for the hunting crowd. They were closed for the winter and spring months.
“If you are only open approximately six months of the year, where do you get your employees?
“From the village, the people who work here have worked here for a long time. They know that we are open only approximately six months a year. Between what I pay them and the tips the guests leave, they make enough to last them until we open again.”
The rest of the morning, I reviewed the books. If the books were correct, they were hardly making ends meet. Occupancy during the summer was primarily families, and occupancy was at 40 percent of available rooms. I also saw that the occupancy in the fall was low, and the turnover was high. When I asked them about the Fall occupancy, they said the hunters would come and leave as soon as they bagged their game.
That evening I decided that this lodge could not support the investment they were asking. At the rates they were charging, occupancy during their operating seasons would have to be at least 75 percent to break even. That precludes any return on investment. I wonder why they didn’t operate year-round.
At breakfast, I asked Mr. Metendorf why they didn’t operate all year instead of just the summer and fall.
“We used to be open all year round. The winters here are very cold, and we are above the snow line, so people who like to ski stay at the lodges a little further south than us. Our Spring’s are very wet. We get a lot of rain during that period. When we built this lodge, the weather wasn’t as severe. People would come from the south to cool off, they said. But in the last 20 years, we have noticed a change in the weather. Winters were colder, rain in the spring has increased, and our occupancy dropped. Our staff had to find other jobs, and some of them left the area.”
“Well, Mr. Metendorf, I need to discuss this with my partner. I’ll get in touch with you in the next few weeks.”
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Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
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