Featured Story

Room Service

  by Lisa Finch

Sharon followed the long, blue-carpeted hallway to her husband Luke’s hotel room. One rather gloomy black and white photograph, matted in an ugly, ornate gilt frame, dominated the wall.

She reached his door, raised her hand to knock, but then pulled back.
Never in their thirty years of marriage had she ever just shown up to one of his 
conventions. It seemed like a good idea when she’d set out this morning, her overnight bag packed, smiling at the thought of the silk nightie she’d tucked inside, still in its original tissue paper.

Now the fatigue of her long drive settled on her like a wet winter coat. Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea. She should’ve called.

Too late now, she was here. She squared her shoulders and tapped on the door.

Luke opened, his smile collapsing like a sand castle on a windy day.

“Sharon.” His eyes widened. “Is everything all right?”

“Yes, of course.” She forced a smile. “Surprise!”

A few seconds of silence crept into more seconds. He seemed to be stuck standing in the doorway.

“Are you going to let me in?”

He moved to let her pass and she hugged him, or tried to. She sort of missed.

“We always said I should join you one of these times.” She chattered as she came in and set her suitcase down. “I thought, well, why not?”

He said nothing.

Was he happy or annoyed? His face had been translated into a language she didn’t speak

“You’re mad.” She’d been here twenty seconds and already her idea of a fun, perhaps naughty, couple of days imploded.

“I’m just . . . really tired Sharon. You must be, as well. You’ve driven for, what, five hours?”

“Six,” she said. “I thought it would be a nice surprise.” Her voice caught on the words.

She couldn’t bear to look at him anymore. Instead she fingered the sapphire ring he’d bought her all those years ago. They’d laughed at the time because he’d thought it was her birth stone. It wasn’t.

That had been the rhythm of their marriage so far, hadn’t it? One small disappointment after another, culminating in a life that neither of them wanted and yet neither had the energy to leave.

Somehow she’d thought this gesture could change all that. Stupid.

Down the street, a police siren wailed. She went to the window, feigned interest.

Finally she turned to face him and shrugged. “I just . . . ”

He was standing so near. He reached out. For one moment she thought he meant to embrace her. Instead, he straightened her collar, like you would do for a child.

So. That’s how it is. Silly Sharon, what did you think he’d do? Jump your bones?

“Well, you’re here now, might as well order food,” he said, passing her the room service menu. “We can split something.”

“Oh, you pick,” she said brightly as she looked over the selections. “Everything looks good.”

When really, nothing did.

~

Top Ten…Superstitions

It’s funny how the things we learn in early childhood can stick with us, even things we know make no sense. Some superstitions are silly. Some are logical, like avoiding walking under a ladder. Some are downright harmful. For example, statistically black cats (and yes, even dogs) are less likely to be adopted.

Yet even as an adult, there are rituals I feel compelled to do even to this day. Weird. Most of these come from my mother’s mother, Nana. She was wonderful and nurturing, but she did have some strange beliefs. Here are just a few that I find interesting. My top ten.

10. Cutlery: If you dropped any utensils, Nana would say, “Company’s coming!” A dropped knife meant a man would arrive. A fork meant a woman. A spoon foretold a child would visit.

9.  The umbrella: You didn’t dare open an umbrella in Nana’s house. You just didn’t. It would bring bad luck, she said. A lot of people still believe this one. I don’t, and yet I can’t say I’ve ever opened one inside. Hmmm . . .

8.  Shoes: This belief was also shared by Nana’s sisters. Shoes were to be floor level, never on a chair or on a shelf. Again, it was bad luck to do otherwise. Clearly I am in defiance of this one because I have my shoes stored in a rack that hangs over my closet door. Uh-oh.

7.  Wild bird in the house: A bad omen. Okay, I don’t believe in this one, but it does freak me out when a bird gets trapped in our garage. The poor thing gets so scared and disoriented. My hubby is usually better at helping them find their way out.

6.  Hanging thread on your coat: You needed a new coat. Okay, maybe this one had some practical applications or maybe it was justification for buying another coat. We may never know.

5.  Dreams of the dearly departed: If a deceased loved one appeared in your dreams, Nana always said they were asking for our prayers. Okay, no harm done there.

4.  A half-lit cigarette: This meant someone was talking about you. I’ve heard this elsewhere. Since I’m not a smoker myself, and I don’t actually know many smokers, I hardly ever get to test drive this one.

3.  The calendar: Never turn the calendar to the new month until it really is the new month (i.e., not before the 1st). Doing so would tempt fate. Tsk tsk. Don’t do it. (Okay, I’ve done this and am still here. Just saying.)

2.  Found penny: You know the old saying. See a penny, pick it up. All day long you’ll have good luck. Pennies are out of circulation in Canada, so they are rarely seen lying around. However, if you see any money on the ground, you do pick it up right? Like, why would you not?

1.  Spill the salt: Okay, I’m busted on this one. If I spill the salt, I absolutely must take a pinch in my right hand and throw it over my left shoulder. My family laughs at this and tries to get me to resist. But it just feels . . . wrong. Hey, who wants to risk an argument?

~