It was a pleasant February afternoon as I drove into the gates of the Taj property. With Covid dissipating, my wife and I had decided to splurge and spend a few days at the beach resort not far from where we lived in Chennai. Having lived through lockdowns, movement restrictions, restaurant closures and all the other tensions that went with the Covid first wave, we decided it would be good to take a break and just chill out for a few days away from the city.
Thanks to the downturn in the hotel business, many 5-star hotels and resorts were offering specials with massive discounts in an effort to woo customers back in. We got a great deal for a private cottage with a small private pool. At less than 50% the usual price and with breakfast thrown in, the discount offer was too good to resist. The only catch was full payment upfront with no refunds for cancellations.
It was therefore a bit of a bummer when my father-in-law had a fall in the bathroom of his house and ended up with a minor fracture in his ankle. As far as medical emergencies go, it really shouldn't have counted at top of any list. There was no threat to life, but a lot of pain, complaints and inconvenience to my poor f-i-l and consequently upon my mother-in-law who had to be the prime caregiver. This occurred on the Wednesday and we were due at the resort on Friday of the same week.
My wife and I had some animated discussions about whether to cancel the resort expedition completely. The fact that we had paid upfront a non-refundable amount also weighed on the mind. I was eventually coaxed into going to the resort alone so that at least we could say the money was not wasted. I have to say that I was quite reluctant about going by myself. Resorts stays were fun fun but if you are an older male, staying all alone, the fun factor could go down rapidly. I was partially mollified by the fact that I could get away from the city and spend some time by the beach. The private pool sounded appealing and at least I would come back relaxed, albeit bored.
As I suspected, the resort was not really brimming with guests. I could see only a handful of cars in the parking lot. There was an attendant waiting to take the keys and park the car while another was there to take care of my luggage. The reception area was pleasant and cool, the afternoon sea breeze had begun to set in. As I went up to the check-in counter, I noticed just one other couple waiting for their checkin process to complete. The receptionist attending to me was a pretty young thing and looking highly fuckable in her saree uniform. I smiled at her wondering if it was worth it to flirt and see how far I could get.
"A cottage with a private pool, sir - your reservation?"
"Yes."
"The reservation has your wife's name as well sir. She is joining later?"
"No. Unfortunately she had an emergency to take care off. So I'll be by myself."
"Sorry to hear that sir. if you can show me a photo ID and please wait, I'll just print out these forms for you to sign."
On a sudden intuition, I glanced to my left. The couple was still there but the wife was obviously intently following my conversation with the receptionist. As soon as my eyes caught hers, her face flushed and she turned her head the other side. The couple looked to be in their thirties. The wife was wearing a black one-piece dress that came up to just above her knees. Her nearly waist long hair hung loose. Of medium height, average build and wearing light-rimmed glasses she was certainly a very well kept and attractive woman. My eyes immediately went down to peek at her legs and there was no trace of hair - very smooth - either shaved or waxed. Her forearms were smooth as well. The husband was tall and looked quite fit himself. I felt a twinge of disappointment when I scanned my eyes over him. It was a bit unlikely that I would catch her attention in anyway with someone like him around.
