The Wild Orchid

Road to the Future: Part 2

After they had finished their breakfast, they realized they needed some rest, Leland most of all, and he knew there was a motel nearby. She still had her mother's ring on, but it was covered by her lace glove so no one could see it. She only would make a point of showing it off if they had a run-in with someone they both knew.

They drove the short distance and parked in the dirt lot in front of a row of units. Zorell looked up and saw a sign saying, Morton Motel. The sign was a little shabby and looked like it was homemade and not professionally done. Leland had told her that the place was built and run by Agnes and Franklyn Morton who were the first to realize a need for a motel in the area. Unlike the hotels in the cities ,the rooms were much more stripped down which made them much cheaper in price. Since more people could afford cars in the last year they were traveling both long and short distances, going on weekend vacations to visit nearby relatives and friends or even longer car trips to visit historical sites and tourist attractions.

The morning was warm, so Zorell didn't bother wearing her coat. She only took her purse, so she could pay for her room. She wasn't going to let Leland pay for her half of the motel fees, just like she refused to let him pay for her half of breakfast.

They walked into the main entrance to see a young man of no more than eighteen behind the counter. He was clean cut looking with slicked back blonde hair, even lighter in tone than Leland's. He was short in height but thin and looked like he didn't eat regularly.

"C-can I h-help y-you?" he asked with a stutter in his voice. His tone was high-pitched, and if they hadn't seen him he would have been mistaken for a woman.

"We would like a room." Leland said and pulled out his wallet. He took out a large bill and paid the boy.

"W-we only h-have one r-room left," he said, struggling to get the words out. "D-do you s-still want the r-room?"

"We'll take it," Zorell said and the boy took the money and gave them change. He gave her a strange look. "Don't worry, we're married." She took her glove off and flashed the ring, which gave him a look of relief. "He just snores."

She grabbed the room key and walked out of the door to go and find their unit. The doors to the rooms were outside, and she followed the path down to room six which was at the very end. Leland looked pale, and beads of sweat gathered on his brow. He could have blamed it on the morning sun, but that was not what was causing his anxiety. The car was parked close by, so he made the excuse that he was going to get their suitcases. She believed that it was more that he didn't want to be in the room alone with her.

As she walked into the room, she laughed. She was glad to see that there were two beds inside which looked like they were hospital issue. She feared it would only make him think of Shanee and how she was in a hospital bed in Chicago and needing him. They would be there tomorrow, and he could see for himself that she was out of danger. That's what she hoped after all.

The room was small and only had one table with a lamp on it, each rested in between the beds. The walls were painted a light yellow with dark forest green carpeting on the floor. There was nothing in the room that gave it any real character. This was a simple establishment, that was used as a rest stop for those just passing through.

She had her carry-on with her and took out her mirror to see how bad she looked. Her hair was a mess, so she freed it from the pins that held it in place and brushed it out. There was a washroom on the north side of the long building, and she thought it would be nice if all the units had its own separate bathrooms. She hoped that sometime in the future it would become a standard. When Leland returned, she would take a trip there to get washed up. She needed to change her clothes as well. She wasn't that tired and thought she would only be taking a short rest, but Leland on the other hand looked like he was about to drop. She had a few books that she had packed and would catch up on her reading, while Leland got some sleep.

She had the latest Agatha Christie novel called The Man in the Brown Suit. It had just come out a week before, which was right after her birthday. Devlin knew how much she loved to read and bought it for her. Until now, she hadn't had to the time to devote to it.

Her father hated the fact that she liked to read, and thought it wasn't right for young women to read so much. They should instead be learning how to run a household, but she already knew how to cook and clean. She even learned to play the piano, more so to make her father happy knowing his love of classical music, but he would point out all the wrong notes she would hit even if no one else noticed.

She loved music and refused to let him ruin that for her as well. When he was gone, she would sit at the piano and play more modern jazz music, which he hated. None of the boys ever told on her and would often invite girls over when their father was away, and they would dance while she played. It was always fun pulling a fast one on the old man, but she figured that he deserved it.

She had just put her book on the nightstand when someone knocked on the door. She assumed it was Leland since no one knew she was there, and she had the only key.

"Lee?" she questioned out loud just to be sure.

"Who else?" he asked. She had only opened the door after hearing his voice, letting him inside. She grabbed her carry-on bag and headed back towards the door. "Where are you going?"

"The wash room," she said, answering his question. She slung her bag over her shoulder and gave a little wave before exiting the room.

I tried to describe the motels that starting popping up in the mid twenties. I've been researching this subject so I hope I got it right.