ROOM 211

PART EIGHT

10.

Sitting on a bed in a hotel room with her knees up against her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs, she looks up and to her left.

'Who are you?' she asks.

'Excuse me?' responds a guy who for the moment at least is going by the name Archer, it may be his name, it may not be his name, for now it is attached to him.

'I said who are you?' her voice loudens, more aggressive than what Henry has heard from her up to now. 'Who are you? How did you get here?' she gets up off the bed and begins thumping this Archer fellow on his chest area.

He backs away not knowing what to make of this. She keeps coming, thumping him more and with the bases of her clenched fists.

'Hey, hey ... what is wrong?' Henry asks manoeuvring himself in between Bonnie and Archer.

'Why did you bring him here? Tell me why?'

She stares Henry in the eyes for a moment then moves back upon the bed and back into the position she had previously been sitting in.

'Hey ... what was all that about?' asks Henry having moved to sit at the end of the bed.

A few seconds pass before Bonnie looks at Henry. 'What was what about?'

Henry turns to look at Archer and they both look at each other in amazement and at a loss to understand what has just happened. As the minutes pass on it becomes clear that Bonnie is unaware that her little outburst has occurred.

11.

'Sir ... excuse me ... I'm very sorry but you can't remain here.'

The voice of a young lady wakes him. She had been hesitant to try shaking him awake so she is more than thankful that her voice and words accomplished her goal.

'Where am I?' he asks as a pain in his head comes at him the instant he speaks.

He was about to attempt sitting up properly in the chair he finds himself in but the pain he feels all at once knocks him back and the opening of his eyes intensifies the pain.

'Sir, you are in the Open House Coffee House, and you have been asleep here at least two hours now ...'

'Two hours? I don't even know where here is ...' he says before groaning with the pain that has greeted him. '... You say I have been here two hours?'

'You have been asleep for at least that long. Do you need some help sir?'

'No, no ... thank you. I just need to get my bearings. I don't remember coming here.'

'Our staff do not remember you coming in sir. You have a coffee there ...' she points to the small square table before him. None of us here remember taking you order so maybe you came in with someone else? By the way sir, your coffee has to be freezing right now, we can get you a fresh one if you wish?'

'Sure, that would be great.'

'Awesome, what would you like sir?'

'Huh?'

'What kind of coffee would you like?'

Briefly thinking about it he has no idea what kind of coffee he would like. He has yet to think about anything else yet though that for that soon will come. The coffee before him is in a takeaway cup with a lid on it and indeed it is cold, it most likely once was hot but if he has been asleep for at least two hours and if the coffee has been on the table since before sleep came then it is obvious as to why it no longer is hot. It also appears that not even a sip had been taken from that drink, but what if he were already asleep before his current whereabouts had come to be?