On A Run (3 page)

Hannah’s chance to escape was now. How angry would Sheila be if she didn’t go through with this lunacy? Surely Sheila would understand the impossibility of the situation.

“Would you like to go first?”

Hannah was pulled back to the current situation. She was blocking a line of business men from boarding the plane. Hannah looked at the piece of paper she held in her hand. Sheila had told her something about the boarding process, but she hadn’t heard much of it as she thought Sheila would be here with her, helping her go through it all. She saw the words “Business Select” written in bold letters across the top.

“May I take your boarding pass?” the boy held his hand out to Hannah, looking apologetically at the man behind her, and a bit perturbed at her.

“Oh, yes, I am sorry.” Hannah frantically gathered her belongings. She glanced at the people who had been sitting next to her, self-consciously worrying what they thought of her for getting special treatment. She began to hold out her boarding pass to the boy; resigned to inevitability and ready to take her laptop, rolling overnight bag and purse toward the gate and onto the plane, imagining words and stares behind her.

“I am sorry ma’am, there are only two carry-on items allowed.” Hannah looked as the same boy who now blocked her path. She stood and stared at him a moment, processing what he was telling her. “You have three bags, if you want, we can check your suitcase for you.”

“But I only have two bags…,
” Hannah began.

“Your purse counts as one. If you like we can check your suitcase for you.”

Hannah wasn’t about to put any of her belongings under the plane. She had had enough of an event going through the security checkpoint and wasn’t about to try to figure out how to find her luggage at LAX.

With her last shred of dignity, Hannah took her purse and shoved it into her laptop case. She couldn’t zip the zipper and her purse hung out at all angles, but there, only two bags. She smiled triumphantly at the boy, daring him to deny her this ingenious solution, handed him her sacred piece of paper and walked toward the ramp. Hannah began to nervously giggle to herself, impressed by her audacity.

“Why not,” she thought. “I am a published author and I am flying business select and going to a resort to give a talk at an author’s convention.” For just a brief moment, she felt empowered.

The empowerment deflated as other passengers crawled over the top of her to get to their seats, the closeness of their bodies causing Hannah to cringe.

“At least I have an aisle seat” she thought, until still more passengers kept bumping into her as they made their way down the aisle to the back of the plane.

Hannah plugged her iPod in and closed her eyes, hoping to somehow sleep through the entire ordeal. She held her laptop tightly on her lap, hugging it close as she would a security blanket, trying to think of characters in her current novel to forget her anxiety about the flight and what lay in store for her. It was beginning to work when she felt a hand touch her on the shoulder.

Hannah startled, nearly spilling her laptop bag and purse all at once. She looked up to see the same pasted on smile of the boy attendant’s face looking down at her.

She could hear him say in an exaggerated tone over the music in her earphones, “You will have to store your carry on under the seat in front of you for takeoff and landing, unless you would like me to store it in an overhead bin for you.” He looked annoyed. “Also, you will need to turn off all electronic equipment and it needs to remain off until we give you the ok to turn it back on.” He stood staring her down, waiting for
her to comply with his orders.

Hannah placed the laptop and purse under the seat, bumping her head on the chair back in front of her and dropping her iPod all at the same time. It dangled in the air, hanging from the earphones that were still plugged tightly into her ears. She looked up to see if she was still being watched, and indeed the boy was standing there waiting. She removed the earphones from her ears and placed the iPod in the pocket in front of her, then looked up with an expression of “Are you satisfied?” The boy then turned to go back to the front of the plane where he chatted jokingly with the other flight attendant.

She saw them both glance in her direction and the color rose to her face immediately. The plane suddenly felt even stuffier than it had a few minutes before. Hannah reached to turn the vent on to full blast above her and glanced at the woman next to her, to see if she had paid any attention to the whole scene. Hannah noticed that on the woman’s lap was a library book, easily identifiable by the label printed on its spine. Hannah felt a rush of excitement when she realized immediately that the book was the last novel she had published, albeit from a while ago.

Hannah’s mind lurched into a day dream. She pictured herself leaning over to the woman and saying, “I wrote that book.” The woman would look up at Hannah’s face and then turn to the inside back cover to see the picture of her printed there. The woman would be enthralled to be sitting next to the author of the book and would tell Hannah how much of a fan she was of hers and would Hannah please sign her copy of the book.

The fact that the book was a library copy pulled Hannah back into reality and the day dream soon turned into Hannah’s recurrent nightmare of being laughed at as an author. The woman suddenly seemed to be telling Hannah how she really didn’t like the book and in fact had never liked any of the books that Hannah had published.

Hannah returned to the reality of the moment on the plane, the woman next to her did not seem to realize the drama that had just played out between them. Hannah turned back, face forward, clenching her teeth and saying nothing, waiting until the moment she could plug her earphones back into her ears.

CHAPTER THREE

Hannah survived the rest of the flight and landed safely at LAX. She tried to ignore the smug “have a nice night” as she navigated off the plane with her small suitcase, laptop, and purse, which she hadn’t bothered to reconcile into the laptop bag. As soon as Hannah was out into the terminal she stepped out of the stream of people and turned on her phone to check her messages. Hannah had been too preoccupied on the flight to remember to be worried about Sheila and the baby, but as soon as they landed she panicked until she could call her to hear what had happened.

When the phone booted up a text message came through. “Baby is fine. I’m going to sleep now. You will do great tomorrow. Stop worrying!” Sheila had worked with Hannah long enough. There was nothing for Hannah to do now except go look for the driver. She had no idea of how to go about this in an airport of this size but as soon as she got to the main terminal of the airport a woman in a suit came up to her.

“Ms. Glen?”

“Am I that obvious?” Hannah said in return.

“Your manager called and gave me a description. Do you have any other bags? No? Then the car is right outside if you are ready.”

Hannah had to laugh to think what description Sheila had given of her. Panicked, slightly green in tint, disheveled, and lost all were descriptors that came to mind.

The drive to the resort was less scary than Hannah would have imagined. For some reason, she somewhat trusted the woman who was driving the car and was glad to have the entire back seat to herself. She sat herself in the very middle, though, fastening the seatbelt around her and checking it twice to make sure it was secure. Then she kept her eyes focused forward, not looking out at the proximity of the cars in front of theirs as they sped along on the eternally crowded California highways. The woman, gratefully, was quiet as she drove, attending to her task and allowing Hannah time to herself.

She had no idea how long she had been lost in thought when Hannah startled at the sound of the woman’s voice.

“There are the fireworks” the driver announced and sure enough, a surprised Hannah saw a massive ball of light dissolving just off to the left of where they were.

“Is there a special celebration going on?” Hannah racked her brain to try to think of what holiday she might have forgotten.

“No, they do this every night.” The driver laughed. “Haven’t you ever been here before?”

“No, I am just in town for a convention.” Hannah waited, cringing, for the driver to ask what kind of convention. She had enjoyed the peaceful drive. She was tired and was not ready to have to start explaining what she was doing here now.

But the driver didn’t respond as, suddenly, the car pulled up to a gated driveway and she spoke to a man at the gate booth. The gates opened and the car pulled up to a circular drive at the back of a massive log building. Sheila had been right. This place very much looked like the style of homes Hannah was used to in Breckenridge, only the size of this one dwarfed even the multimillion dollar homes there. Hannah’s door was opened by a man with white gloves and a green velvet suit and she slid across her seat to get out.

“Good evening Ms. Glen and welcome to the Grand Californian Resort and Spa. My name is Doug and I will be assisting you this evening.”

Hannah stood blinking through her fatigue and the bright lights of the entryway. She was embarrassed to think what she must look like and realized that she had none of her belongings. She turned to collect them from the back seat and found the driver holding her purse out to her, her rolling bag and laptop already being collected by a bellman.

“If you are ready,” Doug continued, “we can go check you in.”

Hannah followed Doug into the building, the bellman following behind at a polite distance. Hannah kept glancing back, and offered more than once to take her bag (really, it was just the one bag) but the bellman waved her off smiling. As they walked, Doug pointed out interesting facts and sites: Mickey Mouse figures artfully hidden within the elegant décor of the massive architecture, the hall to the pool and the spa, the hours of the restaurant. Hannah was entranced by the grandiosity of the establishment. She soon forgot about her luggage and followed Doug down the deeply carpeted hallway.

As they turned the corner she gaped at the open room of the lobby. Like the insides of some great Viking hall, the room rose for many stories upward. Hannah started to veer toward the obvious check in counter, seeing a line of exhausted parents and sun burnt children, long past their bedtimes, begging to be held while their mothers and fathers waited to check in.

“We will be going this way Ms. Glen” she turned and saw Doug motion her toward a set of elevators. Hannah and Doug and the silent bellman went inside and rose to the sixth floor. The elevator was as elegant and plush as the downstairs had been. As they exited the elevator, Hannah could see out over the same open hall they had just come from. Doug led her to an oak table with large leather cushioned seats. He pulled the chair out for her and she unceremoniously sank into it. Doug sat across the table in one of his own while the bellman continued down the hallway after referring to a paper that Doug had on a clipboard.

“Did you have a nice flight here?” Doug smiled at Hannah while arranging some papers in a large folder.

Hannah never knew how to respond to small talk. Did she tell him about the rude flight attendant, or the fact that the engine seemed unnaturally loud, or that she practically passed out during landing because she was holding her breath?

“Fine,
” was what she finally settled on.

“You will be staying in room 614. It has a wonderful view of the park. I understand that you will be speaking downstairs tomorrow. Here in the folder we have an itinerary of the convention and where you will be located. The room will be set up with microphone and a media center for you to link your laptop to for your power point.”

Hannah’s eyes began to glaze over; she hadn’t prepared a power point.

“If not,” Doug jumped in, reading her discomfort, “do you need anything else in the room?”

“Is there something I can write on?” Hannah decided once again that she really had no idea what she was doing here.

“There will be a document camera of course.”

“Is there perhaps something like a dry erase board?” Hannah’s throat felt like it had shrunk to the diameter of a straw.

“We can arrange for a large writing tablet and easel to be available. I will also make sure there are different color markers and some tape so you can hang pages on the wall if you need. Would this be better?”

“That would be perfect.” Hannah relaxed. He was speaking a language she now understood.

“The concierge lounge opens at 6:30 for breakfast. It is available throughout the day with refreshments, and there is wine and cheese available in the evening. You just need your room key to access it. If you need anything at any time, someone will always be available here at this desk for you. In this packet are the maps of the hotel and parks as well as your park hopper pass.”

“Oh, I won’t need those….” Hannah began, until she saw Doug’s reaction. Apparently people didn’t come to Disneyland and then not go into the amusement parks very often.

“Well, I will keep them in this packet in case you decide you have time. If you would like, we can arrange for you to have a tour of the parks or provide you with a guide.” He then got a genuine smile on his face. “The parks are magical you know. That is why they call it the Magic Kingdom. Pretty amazing things happen to people who go there.”

“Thank you, I will keep that in mind.” Hannah obliged him.

“Well, you must be tired. Unless you have any other questions, I will let you sign the registration card and show you to your room.”

Hannah collected her purse after signing the card, seeing that the expenses were already billed to Sheila’s company. She began to look around for her bags then remembered they had already made it down the hall to her room. She followed Doug’s lead through what seemed like a maze, surprised at the sound of children’s voices coming from open doors. She hadn’t expected to hear such rambunctious noise in a place with this much ambience. But, of course, this was Disneyland, and she didn’t mind it. At the room marked with a 614 on it, Doug opened the door with the keycard and then handed it to her as he held the door open.

“Again, if you need anything, please do not hesitate to pick up the phone and call. I wish you the most magical of times while you are here at the Disneyland Resort.” He paused to make sure she didn’t indicate that she needed anything and then quietly closed the door, leaving her alone in her room.

Hannah turned toward the center of the room, lit dimly for the evening. The curtains to the windows were still open and her first view was of a majestic mountain, lit in blue lights, off over the park. Hannah barely registered the room as she walked over to the window, looking out at the wonder below. The “mountain” she realized was not real, it was a replica of one, in the image of a giant bear. The view was a menagerie of colors, reminding her of the fireworks she had seen on the drive coming in. Hannah could see an enormous Ferris wheel off in the distance, and a huge building that appeared to be a ride of some sort. Looking down, she could see people milling about, doll sized from the perspective of her window. Nothing from this view appeared to be real. As if everything were part of a diorama like she had made when she was a little girl in elementary school. It was beautiful in a way, not unlike the way she thought of her mountains back home, but altogether different as well.

Hannah reluctantly pulled the curtains closed across the sight, feeling her exhaustion building and knowing that she needed her energy for the next day. She then turned to take in the room. It was filled with tasteful furniture of a woodsy theme. The characters she saw were not of the typical Mickey Mouse/Donald Duck variety, but included chipmunks and other woodland creatures. The king sized bed had been turned down; on the pillow was a chocolate and a small card. Hannah crossed the room, and, picking up both, read the card while un-wrapping the chocolate one handed. “A d
ream is a wish your heart makes” she read out loud, popping the chocolate into her mouth.

Hannah set the alarm on her cell phone, even though she didn’t need to speak until ten o’clock in the morning. She wanted to be sure to have plenty of time to prepare ahead of time. She was too tired to unpack, and rummaged through her bag to find her toothbrush, hating to erase the wonderful flavor she had just experienced. After she was done in the bathroom she stripped off her clothes and donned an old t-shirt, one that had been her father’s that she had kept. She wore it whenever she needed extra comfort and tonight was one of those times. Then she slipped into the bed, the sheets feeling cool and incredibly luxurious beneath her tired body. The bed enveloped her after she reached to turn out the light. She lay there for just a moment, not worried about anything, just wondering about how comfortable she felt. And in an instant, she was sound asleep.

Hannah’s alarm jolted her awake and for more than a moment she had to think about where she was. She had slept the entire night, an unusual event for Hannah, and didn’t even remember having dreamt. The bed was what finally alerted Hannah to her surroundings; the enormous, amazingly comfortable bed. She had not an ounce of stiffness, and felt like she had slept for a week, not just a night. Hannah’s eyes adjusted to the dark room. She had set her alarm for six thirty and knew that the summer morning would be quite light already, but the heavy curtains across the window kept the room plenty dark. Hannah swung her legs over the bedside, scrunching her toes into the plush carpet, reminding her how much she disliked the coldness of the wood floors of her home. She stretched and stood reluctantly, not wanting to leave the comfort of the bed, but very much wanting to look out the window again. Hannah pulled the curtain aside, regretting it immediately as she was blinded by the brightness of the outdoors, able to see nothing but colored dots even when she turned back to the inside. She blinked multiple times trying to clear her vision, squinting until her eyesight returned. Then more slowly, Hannah turned around again, waiting each moment for her eyes to adjust more before continuing her turn. At last she was able to look outside and yes, there it was, the huge mountain shaped like a bear. A small giggle slipped past her lips before the requirements of the day interrupted her thoughts.

At that the day seemed less brilliant and Hannah immediately became an efficient machine, busily unpacking and laying out her outfit before heading for the shower. She thought about making her bed, her typical routine in the morning, but allowed that this was probably not necessary, though it bothered her to see it unmade. Her focus lessened slightly as she picked out small details in the bathroom. The wallpaper had figures drawn into it of different characters and the soap was shaped like an acorn. The shower was hot and had plenty of pressure and Hannah allowed herself the luxury of staying under its spray long past the time that she was clean.

As Hannah dried and dressed, she practiced the talk she had prepared. She carefully dried her hair, trying to tame the burgundy frizz that seemed worse than usual. “California humidity!” she thought, though this seemed odd given that she was in a climate controlled environment. Then Hannah carefully applied makeup. Oddly, this was a habit that she had never given up, despite the infrequency that she spent around other human beings. One of Hannah’s favorite memories as a little girl with her mother was practicing putting makeup on while her mother did in the morning. She was never allowed to wear it past the time her mother took to get herself ready, but it always made her feel like they were in a special club together. Then as Hannah got older, her mother had shown her how to apply makeup so it looked natural, not the heavy look that most of the teenage girls resorted to. When Hannah was in college she didn’t like to leave her room without makeup, liking the confidence it gave her. By the time that Hannah was alone in her world she had become so used to what she looked like with makeup on that she couldn’t bring herself to go without it. So each morning this was part of her routine, a little piece of her mother preserved. Hannah finished applying lipstick and then looked once more in the framed mirror. She saw the other Hannah looking back at her. Sometimes she saw a more confident person in the mirror; someone who could go out into the world and overcome it. But this other Hannah also looked down on herself, reminding the one that was on the world side of the mirror that she had no real skills, nothing that was actually of any use. And so she turned away from herself, feeling small and insignificant.