When can you come back again? [MILEX] +18

2

Night is coming when I carry out my favourite activity at work: touring the property to inspect possible obstacles. I like to walk under the starry sky, impregnated with the fragrances given off by fruit trees and oaks. I unwind and relax after a busy day, in addition to checking that everything is in working order. The pool was already closed. At the lake, a couple of teenagers were hanging out around the campfires. In the garden, the sprinklers were already on. I write down in the small notebook that I always carry with me, that there are three street lights that don't work. I'd change them in the morning. Our land is huge, and without interruptions, it takes me a little over half an hour to traverse the whole grounds.

Upon returning to the entrance, I found a couple of cigarette butts around the fountain. That annoys me, since a few metres away there is a bin for them to be thrown. The last thing to check out is a small garden. Originally it didn't exist, so I built it with the boys. On that side, the largest amount of bushes is concentrated, a while back it occurred to me that if we managed to cut them a little, and plant medium trees, maybe we could put a bench and a lamppost. It wasn't easy at all, the roots were strong, and there was a lot of work to be done in the place to waste time with it, but I didn't give up on the idea even when my friends abandoned the project. After months, I finished it. I walked there to discover that, leaning along the bench, leaning his back against the lamppost, Miles was smoking. Seeing me, he whispered a "hello".

- Mr. Kane, good evening! Sorry to interrupt ...

- I asked you to call me Miles ...

- I'm sorry ... Miles, were you able to rest?

Miles cocked his head. Looked indecisive about the answer. He took another drag on his cigarette and when he exhaled, he replied:

- Only a little ...

- I see ... remember that we have a Spa service, it would be good for you to take advantage of it ...

Even though the light is dim, I noticed his blank stare. He looks like a tired man, like he hasn't slept in decades and serious problems weigh on him. I didn't know what to say to him, but I didn't want to leave either. I put my hands in the pockets of my pants and I waited, perhaps, he would break the silence.

- Alexander, do you smoke?

I nod my head in response. He lowered his legs to put them one on each side of the bench, and patting it, he invited me to sit across from him. I sat the same way to face him. He took a cigarette out of his jacket and handed it to me, I put it to my lips, he brought his lighter closer to me and lit it. He leaned back against the spout of the lamppost, lighting a new cigarette for himself. He studied me closely in the dim light, or at least that's what It seemed like.

- Can I ask something?

I nodded.

- How can someone so young have a four-star hotel? Did you inherit it?

I smiled at his question. The classic when guests visit the hotel.

- Do you really want to know? It's a bit of a long story, Miles.

- Well ... I have time ... and a talk would relax me, Alexander

- Okay, but I will summarise it as best I can ... I am not the only owner, I introduce myself as such, because my friends decided that my face should be the one to represent us, but in reality we are four friends with a dream in common since we were 15 years old : to have our own hotel. On a summer trip we took with our families to a town in France, we became obsessed with the idea. We believed that when it was time to go to the University it would pass, but it wasn't like that. So we choose related careers; public relations, technology, administration, gastronomy, all with a specialisation in hotels. When we graduated, we returned to our parents' house, so as not to spend on rent and that the money from our jobs, which I highlight are very poorly paid, we could save to buy some property. The rest, well, you are seeing it ...

- Sweat, sacrifice and tears ...

- Fuck, yeah. Tonnes of sacrifices! - I noticed my outburst, I shouldn't forget that Miles was a guest, and not a friend - I'm sorry, Miles ... I shouldn't have ...

- To curse? Come on Alex, we are practically the same age! ... Are you what... in your 30s?

- Add two more ...

- Seriously? Me too!

- Could I ask what you do for a living? Are you on vacation?

- You could say so ... I'm a Graphic Designer ... or I used to be 

I didn't know if it would be okay to ask him what had happened. His tone of voice changed when he said it. His posture too. He stubbed out his cigarette on the marble of the bench, and discarded it in the butt can that I placed behind the lamppost. He got up heading towards the exit, he was forcing a smile and waving goodbye.