Unexpectedly, Milo - Matthew Dicks [88]
“Yeah, I know,” said Milo, also leaning in. “I hate that kid. I really do. He might be the worst character in all of movie history. But maybe today he’ll mind his own business and let Butch and Sundance ride off into the sunset.”
“There’s always hoping.”
Milo knew that all too well.
“Listen,” said Lily. “I can’t let you back in the room. Once I’ve checked you out, that’s it. The cleaning crew is probably already in there, getting it ready for the next guest. You could pay for another night and I could put you in a different room, but that seems silly. Just to watch a movie, I mean.”
“Yeah, it does,” Milo said, thinking this might be his only solution.
“But what I can do is let you use the employee break room, just around the corner. There’s a TV and DVD player in there, and the room should be empty this morning.”
“I don’t know,” Milo said. “Won’t you get in trouble for letting me use it?” In truth, Milo wasn’t worried about possible disciplinary action against Lily. He thought that watching the movie among the other hotel employees would be awkward and uncomfortable, and he didn’t want to spend the next two hours explaining himself to a bunch of curious strangers on a coffee break.
“The managers don’t even go into that room. Last week one of the bartenders locked the door and had sex with her boyfriend on the lunch table. At least she said she did. I don’t know her too well, so who knows? But I hardly think the boss would mind me allowing a guest to use the DVD player for a couple hours. Good customer service, right? And besides, the break room is down that hall, just past the restrooms. It’s not like you need to come behind the counter or go through the kitchen.”
“What about the other employees?” Milo asked. “Won’t I be bothering them?”
“Not at all. There’s only two or three of us left on duty from the night shift, and we all get off in less than an hour. The rest of the staff just came on at seven, so no one will go on break until later this morning. You’ll probably have the room to yourself the whole time. Trust me. It’s perfect.”
Though Milo still wanted to decline the offer, finding the idea of using the break room too unorthodox and unpredictable, no alternatives were coming to mind. He had no choice but to watch the film, and soon. Lily’s proposed solution only served to heighten the demand by creating an expectation of satisfaction. Rejecting this solution, as much as he might want to, was no longer possible. By the time he left the hotel and reached his car, the pain would have started, beginning with the viselike pressure on his brain, followed by the piercing of those imaginary acupuncture needles and accompanied by an inability to focus and even see clearly. Driving would become impossible, and on top of the need to watch the film, placebo would likely resume its thunderous call. Already, he could feel stirrings inside his head, threatening pain and discomfort if he did not act quickly. As with most of his demands, the proximity to their fulfillment only served to increase the pressure.
“Okay,” Milo said, relenting to Lily and the growing threat in his mind. “But only if you’re sure that you won’t get in trouble.”
“Don’t be silly,” Lily said. “Meet me by the restrooms down that hallway. I’ll get someone to watch the desk and be right there.”
Milo strode across the lobby in the direction that Lily had indicated, carrying his suitcase in one hand and the DVD in the other, and thinking that Lily’s suggestion might not be so bad after all.
chapter 22
A short time later, Milo was sitting on a wooden bench, staring at a flat-screen television hanging at the far end of the room. The employee break room turned out to be a small, dimly lit rectangle consisting of a large wooden table surrounded by four sets of benches, a wall of ancient lime green lockers, a battered microwave and coffeemaker, and a small refrigerator tucked