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September 28, 2018
Sean wearily drummed his fingers on the counter as he surveyed the vacant hotel lobby in front of him. The lobby attendants had vacuumed the carpet and refilled the water coolers for guests. He was alone at the front, and as bored as humanly possible. He had been at work since seven o'clock that morning and wouldn't be leaving until two o'clock that afternoon. It was only a quarter after nine and he was ready to dip.
Despite the security cameras aimed at the front desk, he was seconds away from taking out his phone and watching highlights of the last New York Giants game. His boss rarely checked the camera footage, so if he didn't get caught in person he would get off scot-free.
Before he could reach into his pocket, a black Steve Madden purse was slammed onto the marble counter. The owner flipped her dark brown hair over shoulders and pushed her sunglasses atop her head. She sighed loudly to gain his attention.
"Uh," he stammered. He hadn't seen her walk up, so the woman caught him off guard. "Hello. Welcome to Marriott Hotel. How can I help you?"
"I'm here to check-in." The woman stood tiredly with her all of her weight shifted onto one leg. At her sides were two large Louis Vuitton suitcases.
"Check-in isn't until 10:25 ma'am." It was still an hour early.
"Well, I'm here now," she said matter-of-factly.
His eyes worked perfectly fine. "I see that, but you're an hour early. The room is occupied."
"I just drove from Nashville!" Her pale skin was beginning to redden as she raised her voice.
"You're free to wait in the lobby, but I can't check you in or give you a key card until the room has been vacated and cleaned. It's the hotel's policy." In the past, he'd be matching her tone of voice. The last time he did that, though, the woman contacted his boss and had almost gotten him fired. Since then, Sean tried to maintain good customer service, regardless of the customer's attitude.
