The Bank Client

Chapter 8 - Home Sweet Home

The unit is quite big. It's fully furnished with one bedroom and an en suite bathroom, with kitchen, dining and living rooms.

Ana will be staying here all alone for four months or more for her officership training. Alone, because that's what HR had informed her. There was a gym and an indoor pool adjacent to her assigned unit, which by the way in the only unit on that floor. Next to the penthouse upstairs. She was told by the concierge that she has the exclusive use of the pool and the gym.

The 25-storey building is just one block away from their Head Office where the training will be held everyday except for weekends when they'll be free.

For five years that she has been with the bank, this is not how extravagant the company is with their accommodations for trainings and seminars. She had gone through several work-related travels as a teller and supervisor, and their accommodation would often be at a hotel but not as lavish as this. She knew accommodations for incoming officers were always at pension lodgings leased by the bank or three-star hotels or simple condos.

"Something's not right, Beth," she told the HR officer in charged of their training, the same person who told her of her accommodation when she arrived at the head office that Monday morning before the start of their training. "How come I'm separated from my colleagues?"

Ana booked a flight to arrive last Saturday so that she'll have time to settle herself in. She went straight to her accommodation which for her is more of a condominium than a hotel. The name of the building itself astonished her. "Belle Tower and Residences, how fitting for my second name." She thought when she got the email from HR about her lodging. The email was supposed to contain all the names of the participants with their assigned rooms and their roommates, but it was only addressed to her through the office intranet.

"Oh no, not really Ana. Earl and Jane are staying on the 6th floor." Beth replied. "The hotel where we usually book for our trainings were renovating three floors so they're short of rooms to accommodate all of you."

"And you gave me the room next to the gym and the pool?" She wasn't told there were other trainees with her on the same building. She was sure she asked the receptionist last Saturday if there were other bank employees booked on that hotel so that she could at least say hello and warm up with them since they'll be spending the next four months together.

"I don't have anything to do with that," Beth explained. "The arrangements with the room assignments were done between the hotels. We were just furnished of their list of occupants. It's the Travellers Suites who made the arrangements with Belle Tower."

"Hmmm... Ok." Ana conceded but still she can't dismissed the idea of being given an inordinate accommodation.

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"Would you like to walk with us to the grocery, Ana? Earl and I needs supplies to fill our pantry." Jane asked her after their first day of training. Ana had told them that she resides on the same building with them.

"What?! No supplies in their pantry? How come mine's filled up?"

"Uhhh... I already bought mine for the week. Thank you " She politely declined. She needed to make an excuse until she figure out what's going on. "I'll be heading back to the hotel."

"Oh, ok. We didn't have time to do the grocery yesterday," Jane said as Earl joined them in the elevator.

"HR called us to transfer from Travellers Suites to Belle Tower yesterday morning." Earl added. "We have already unpacked our things last Saturday."