Honey Ko - A Novel

Chapter Sixteen

Sasi. I dreamed about her. I shook the water out of my hair and stepped from the shower. Except for vague bits, I rarely recalled my dreams. Not that dreams had context. Did any dream make sense? Did dreams do anything more than increase the hurt? In the dream, Sasi was swimming in a channel running through a city, tall buildings lining either side. I watched from a dock as she receded in the distance. It was night, and I feared I was going to lose her. Just as I made up my mind to swim after her, a giant wave formed and towered hundreds of feet over me, not breaking but always on the verge of breaking. Terror filled me, and I wanted to run away, but I was rooted to the shore. When the wave began to break, Sasi disappeared and I woke, covered in sweat and lying in damp sheets.

I wrapped a towel around my waist and brushed my teeth. What if Sasi were not at the front desk? No. She said she'd be there. She wasn't the type to disappoint. I grabbed my backpack, stuffed in a bottle of suntan lotion and a book, and grabbed my camera. I scanned the room and left for the lobby.

I followed the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee to the breakfast bar. The attendant filled a travel mug for me. Hot and delicious. The staff had laid out a continental breakfast of fruit, croissants, bagels, and doughnuts. I stuffed a pink frosted doughnut in my mouth and three more into a sack and walked across the lobby to the front desk. The clerk, her back to me, was sorting mail into room slots. She turned at my approach. It was Sasi looking beautiful, happy, and fresh. I hadn't recognized her with her hair in a ponytail. She laughed when she saw me, and my face reddened. I put the remainder of the doughnut in the sack.

"Oh, Thomas. Good morning. You are so funny. I'm sorry, I could not help but laugh." She covered her mouth with her hand, laughing still as I handed her my room key. "Do we yet have a date for this evening?"

"Of course. I thought of nothing else all night."

"Does that mean you dreamed of me?"

"Of course. I dreamed I skipped work today, and we ran off to Barcelona, where we married and had ten kids. I stayed home while you ran our hotel empire. We had become grandparents when I woke."

Her ponytail shook when she laughed. Ponytails made my knees weak. They expressed fun, youth, freedom. Hers revealed a neck that cried out for nuzzling.

"You are so much fun, Thomas. I love the way you make me laugh."

"I'm glad. I'll be sure to stuff my mouth with pink doughnuts every morning."

"Doughnuts are fun, are they not? If you cannot laugh while eating doughnuts, why, you probably don't laugh at all."

"Well then, the world should eat more doughnuts, don't you think?" I looked around for the rest of the team. "Has anyone else shown up? They should be here by now."

"I have not seen George, but some of the others are having breakfast." She sorted the last of the mail, then picked up a heavy stack of international newspapers.

"Here, let me get those." I rushed to help her. "Where do they go?"

"You may distribute them among the sofas and chairs in the lobby, if you like. Here," she said, taking the top few papers. "You carry, and I will distribute. They are complimentary to guests."

I followed Sasi through the lobby. "We make a great team, Sasi. I work cheap too. Feed me, and I'll do anything you ask."

"Hey. Leave my girl alone, Nelson." George walked up carrying doughnuts, and stuffing several bottles of water in his backpack.

"Your girl, Mr. Avelar? When did you dream that this unlikely event took place?" Sasi was shining. Her eyes bore into George's. He laughed and looked away. Not many people could intimidate George, but Sasi was his match.