Alex and Uyenie Back Story Part 3 (The Call)

Eight years later, I’m not doing so hot. I’m homeless, I can’t find a job, and I have no money. Luckily I still have the car, my phone, and my ad in the phonebook. One gracious day, I get a phone call to fix a heater in this hotel. Gosh, I remember first walking in this lobby. I was awestruck. How did such a fancy hotel ask me to fix their heater? I walked up to the front desk. The worker recognized that I obviously wasn’t a guest, but the cheap plumber. He called using the phone with this pompous tone and look. Minutes afterwards, Alex comes to greet me. He’s told me he recognized me immediately, but I was in denial. No way could this strapping, tall young man in front of me be Alex that little brat I babysat years ago.

So he greeted me a nice smile and introduced himself as the owner of the hotel and immediately asked me to follow him to the broken heater. We didn’t exchange names. To me, it was another job. I did warn him that I was a terrible plumber, but he insisted I try.

He led me to this amazingly bright room. It was like I was stepping on heaven. The lights were coming from the tiles on the ground! There was nothing else in the room besides me, Alex, and the heater. He laughed a little when I was jumping from tile to tile. He then left me to do work on the heater.

I was staring at that thing for the longest time ever. How do I fix this??? What is this thing? I wonder if that guy has a girlfriend. What am I thinking? Focus! Well, I know this goes here…. His hair looked really black and bold like his eyes. He was really nice too, always smiling. And, oh my gosh, his chest—ah! Focus! But the weird thing, he reminds a little of Alex. He does look really similar to him. No, it couldn’t have been him. Alex fell off the face of the earth eight years ago.

So after hours and hours, the day was late and I couldn’t stay and work on it forever. I asked an employee for the owner.

“So how’s the heater coming along?” He asked with his raised eyebrows.

“Oh, it’s coming along great, by some miracle! But it’s getting late, and I shouldn’t keep working on it…. I’ll finish it by tomorrow!”

“Oh, that sounds great! I’ll have a worker show you to your room.”

“My room?” Did I tell him I was homeless? Did I miss something?

“Yeah, everyone who works here gets a complimentary room.” Yeah, they actually don’t. We would lose a lot of money if they did! He just wanted me to stay in the same building with him.

“Oh, by the way, my name is Uyenie. We never introduced ourselves,” I tried to get his name to make sure it wasn’t Alex, but he was called up. He left me with a worker.

So I was escorted to my room. I took some of my clothes from my car, because I assumed I was only going to be living her for one night. He gave me a suite! I opened the door and find freaking rich butt things! The room itself was huge! I could have an amazing dance party here. The bed was like emperor sized and had drapes covering it. The floor was a nice dark wooden color. There was a dining table fit for eight with a gold finish. What type of employee complimentary room is this?

Later that night, Alex comes to welcome me in a bell hop outfit.

“Why are you dressed up as a bell hop?” I was confused, yet pleased by this outfit.

“It’s the only way for me to walk around this hotel.” He carried in a cart full of midnight snackage.

“I, I don’t think I can accept this room. It’s way too nice,” I felt guilty. I started packing my stuff to leave. A homeless loser like I did not deserve this.

He watched me pack up a little, with this look of losing something he loved. “No, don’t leave. I don’t want you to leave. Please. It’s the least I can do.” By this time, I was really confused.

“What have I done for you? You’re paying me to fix your heater.”

“You don’t remember me?” He stares into my eyes, all watery. By then I knew it was him. “Uyenie, it’s me, Alex.”