Inn-demand

III

Whistling merry tunes in the afternoon, and sweeping the floor, awaiting arrival of the Inn's first guests. This couldn't be a better time, she had begun to run out of chores and tasks to carry out whilst attempting to get the INN upto full functionality.

The phone rings, the sun is strong, the weather is merry and heavy with humidity.

'R&B INN. How may we help you today.'

'Nina, hey. This is Amar. I am sorry... we have to cancel. It wouldn't be possible for Nia and I to visit the INN, and you'd

'Amar.. hey. How.. okay, I was really looking forward to you guys coming... what happened.'

'Nina I'm so sorry. I'll call you soon. I hope everything is well with you. Is the INN in business already?'

Nina sighs. 'Yes, it is. Well.. it would be. I have a few on the waitlist, though the website is still getting updated. It is rejecting some bookings on technical difficulties, we are sorting that.'

'That's good. Thanks a ton Nina for understanding. Let's do this soon.'

Click.

Nina rubs her forehead. She really had been looking forward to the bookings. This was hard. It would have been nice to have some familiar faces to eat and drink with. It wasn't like Nia to cancel without reason, she wonders what must've happened. Hopefully nothing big.

Bummer. Nina's day had cracked open a little bit to gloomy downsides and she sits on the floor cushions with a look on her face.

The difficult part of doing this was not having family, and not having friends. A few people she could trust, her friends, would have been something to be cheery about. Now there was only the social media and the internet, technology to keep her in touch with who she was (is?) before the shift happened.

Nina feels a weird pulsating feeling in her forehead. Maybe it wasn't fair but this day was turning out to be pretty awful. She'd been repeatedly reminding herself of the visits to keep her spirits up, but now there was only the two guests, the couple, a couple of strangers that is who would be showing up and it was a nightmare. She'd hired some local help for the duration of their stay, maybe she should call them in now, being so alone .. oh yes they were coming in anyway, on account of her friends' visit which has now been unceremoniously cancelled.

She gets in the bathroom, wears a fresh set of warm clothes and heavy denim Jean's, Boots and locks up the INN and heads out.

Task of the day: get groceries, talk to the local help and work on permanent schedules to be put to place.

Her business degree might be doing her wonders, but Nina's human side was becoming ugly and sore with lack of familiarity and company in a cold barren place.