EVE: “Let me check.”
More key punching, matched with bewilderment on her face.
EVE: “This doesn’t make sense. Are you sure you don’t know a ‘Lily Smith’?”
ME: “No. Why?”
EVE: “She’s the one that signed both tickets.”
ME: “I can tell you; I don’t know her. Are you sure the room number is right?”
EVE: “Let me get the manager. Maybe he can help.”
She buzzed someone on the phone and within a few seconds an older gentleman steps from an office door to behind the counter.
The pleasantries start all over. “Hi I’m Sam Mail, was your stay satisfactory?”
ME: “Well Sam, it was until I discovered to rather pricey room service charges on my bill.”
Taking the bill, Sam starts repeating the process Eve had followed and very shortly asked, “Do you know a Lily Smith?”
ME: “Like I told Eve, I don’t know her and if you need, I can probably verify that I wasn’t at the hotel during the times the room service was delivered.”
SAM: “Give me just a minute and I’ll see if the person who delivered the carts is available.”
Turning to Eve, Sam asks, “Is Bob on today?”
EVE: “Oh yes, he was here just a few minutes ago.”
Sam picks up the phone, dials in a number and hangs up. Within a few minutes, Bob appears and steps behind the counter. You can see the sheer terror on his face as he looks at me. I think he was afraid I was reporting his last mistake.
SAM looking at Bob: “Bob, can you verify these deliveries? Mr. Simons said he didn’t order them and doesn’t know this Lily person.”
Bob stuttering fumbling says, “Let me look at those a second and see.”
His face turns pale when he realized that the charges are as much as they are and he has no explanation. He looks up at me and knows doing anything short of eating the charges puts him at risk of me revealing his other visit. Trying to buy time, he says, “Give me a minute, I got to remember what the deal was and those were last week.”
Sam looking perturbed says, “Let’s be quick, I’m sure Mr. Simons has more important things to do than discuss his bill.”
BOB: “Oh I remember now. That was a wrong room number.”
EVE: “But I looked and there was nobody by that name at the hotel.”
Bob stuttering again as he was backed into a proverbial corner, “Well yeah, it wasn’t a guest. You might say it was a ‘lady friend’ of a guest that was ‘visiting’ him.”
Sam “So you didn’t get the guest to sign?
BOB: “She said he had stepped out and I was being slammed with deliveries at those times.”
Sam in a scolding tone: “You know you’re never to let anyone but the guest sign for room service unless he or she has left expressed permission. Has that guest checked out?”
BOB: “I think he left over the weekend.”
SAM: “So you know what that means?”
BOB: “Yes, I am responsible for the charges.”
Sam looking at me with a smile, “It looks as if there was a mistake and these will be removed from your room. In fact for your troubles, we will comp you a night and hope you will come back and visit us again soon.”
ME: “Why thank you very much. I am certainly hoping to get back down here. This has been a truly unique trip and I met many friendly people.” Taking the reprinted statement, I bid them and New Orleans ‘adieu’.