This is the precursor to my story "Playing Through"
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Shortly after starting my job at a University in the Appalachians, I headed for a meeting at the University of Maryland. My plane landed at DCA, I retrieved my rental car and fought the National Capital Region afternoon rush hour traffic to the Bethesda Marriott. I was looking forward to relaxing in my room after the bumper to bumper traffic, but the receptionist couldn't find my reservation. I showed him my reservation on my phone, "Oh, you are at the other Bethesda Marriott," he said.
"The OTHER Marriott?"
"Yes, it is two and a half miles north on Route 1," he explained in an upbeat tone contrary to my agitation.
At 5:00PM, that two and a half miles promised to take 20-30 minutes, but devoid of other options, I grabbed my bag and returned to my car.
As advertised, the other Marrriott had my reservation. The receptionist looked to be in her mid-twenties and I found her very attractive, but I was too tired to put in the effort required to interest a girl fifteen years my junior. We exchanged smiles and I grabbed my bag.
In a few short minutes, I was in my room relieved to finally be able to relax. I opened my bag and started to hang my shirts for the upcoming days, when there was a knock on the door.
"What now?" I thought and peered through the peep hole to find a guy in his early-twenties standing in the hall. He was dressed too casually to be a hotel employee, but his small stature and submissive posture left me confident that it was safe to find out what he wanted.
I opened the door and the young man strolled confidently straight passed me into my room. He reached the center of the room and turned to face me. Upon seeing the bewildered look on my face his smile faded.
"Richard?" he asked.
"No-o-o-o-o," I answered, and he tilted his head while holding his fix on my eyes, "Oh," he muttered and briefly looked downward.
"Is this room 303?" he asked looking back into my eyes.
"Ye-e-e-es," I replied with a slow, affirmative shake of my head, "Oh," he muttered, looking down again.
We stood there for what seemed like several minutes when it occurred to me what had happened. I relaxed and nodded at him, "I think I can help you," I told him as I passed by him with a quick hand on his shoulder to reassure him. He appeared calm as he watched me walk behind him, even though I was easily six inches taller than he was. But my hand on the hotel desk phone seemed to startle him.
"It's ok, I promise," I said. He looked at me quizzically, but stayed in place. I pressed "0" on the phone and when that pretty receptionist answered, I asked her, "Please connect me with the OTHER Bethesda Marriott."
After a flirtatious "Certainly," the phone rang on the other end. A man answered and I asked for "Room 303, please," and nodded at the young man still standing in the center of my room. "The OTHER Bethesda Marriott?" he half whispered. His realization then appeared to strike him and he noticeably relaxed. A man answered on the other end of the phone and I asked, "Richard?"
"Yeah," the man answered with some trepidation.
"Ah, good," I said, "I have someone here who needs to talk to you." I offered the phone to the young man in the center of my room and he confidently took it from me with an appreciative nod.