The Reluctant Heiress (A Christian Romance Novel)

Part 46 : The Past

Same evening, 11pm, back at the hotel.

"By the way congratulations!" Aiden told Telly shaking her hand as they were walking out of the hotel lobby. Telly was clueless. "Tomorrow you would have graduated from the management course in New York!"

"Oh, haha!" she laughed out loud. "I'm sorry you didn't get to attend the last sessions!" she said apologetically.

"That's ok," he said. "When I called you,  I was on my way to the airport. But I am where I should be."

"I didn't get the memo that there was a practical test alongside that conference," she joked, but her face immediately turned dead serious as she referred to these recent things happening to her. "Seriously though, I've learned more about management the past couple of weeks here, than there."

"Life is a great teacher," he said and he sat down on one of the steps.

"So true," she answered and sat beside him. "And a hard one."

Telly took a deep breath. "I didn't realize how complicated things could be. I was given the privilege of seeing things in different perspectives, and I think that is one of my biggest takeaway here. I was pulled out from my safe cocoon, from my own little world, and darted into this big chaotic world." She paused, and almost whispered. "It is so humbling, and it hurts each thread of my soul."

Aiden moved closer to hear and wrapped his right arm around her shoulder and kept patting her and brushing his hand up and down her right arm, like a reassuring pat of a friend.

"Can you imagine how boastful we humans are, thinking that we can rule the world, when we can't even rule our own circles properly?" She looked up in the sky. "Lord, how do you rule seven billion people, and trillions of systems running around simultaneously, and not go crazy?"

"These are precious realizations that not all people have been privileged to see," he said. "And accept."

"Thank you for being a trooper and gathering up all those people," Telly told Aiden. "I couldn't have done that without you."

"Pleasure was mine," he said almost whispering.

It was about 11 pm and you can only hear the soft breeze and some noise from the night critters. The surrounding was so dark, as the electricity in town has not gone back yet. Maybe tomorrow. But the sky was more clear, and more stars could be seen shining brightly.

Half of the staff has gone home, leaving  the overnight shift crew. Mrs. Robinson made sure that all the guests have everything they needed for the evening before she went home and left the fort in the hands of Rachelle.

Earlier, they made a quick run to her house and found that it sustained big damages, but not very severe. And it was not safe for them to stay there for the night.

So Telly and Kay decided to occupy the last available room in the hotel. Kay was already in the bedroom, tired from all the happenings that day.

"Thank you for giving me this opportunity to be Jesus' hand and feet," he said as he took her hand and squeezed it tight. "You know between working in the bank and at the farm on weekends, I rarely get the chance to see the world outside of mine." 

He took a deep breath as he continued. "As I picked up those families, seeing how devastated they were, I felt an unexplained joy knowing I was part of the small solution to their problems. You should have seen their faces when I told them I'm taking them to Hotel de Lavi like I'm one crazy guy, until they saw the van with the logo. And then their faces changed from frowning to surprised."

Telly faced him and looked at him as he told  her more details. She has not seen Aiden this talkative and animated before, like he owned the moment. And he told her as well his encouraging encounter with some of the teens at the lobby. Telly could see a spark of joy in his eyes.