Love Comes in Balcony Packages
I felt overpowered. I felt insane. I felt stubborn. And I felt loved. "One room for three please," Drew said as we walked into an old shabby motel. The word "sketchy" lingered in my mind as we were handed our key to the "Motel Inn".
"Please enjoy your stay here," the innkeeper mumbled, turning back to his newspaper. How did we get off the highway? With a lot of arm strength and a whole lot of Drew's back. Drew put Anna on his back and held me in his arms as he treaded through the high waters rushing at him from every point. He managed to cling onto the highway rails as we slowly made our way down the exit. I had never felt so save in my life. We reached the bottom of the exit and came across a motel. As sketchy as it was, we were all going to die if we didn't get out of the rain.
We slowly made our way down the hallways of the motel. A laundry detergent smell lingered in my nose. Cigarettes were tossed on the floor and stains on the walls and carpet were highly noticeable. I gagged as I saw the room we were staying in. An out-dated old spice scent was coming from the bathroom. Not to mention the disgusting sight of the toilet.
"This definitely did not pass inspection…" I muttered, sitting on the bed. I was wet, irritated, grossed out, and wanted a nice shower in a gold bathtub like the one my dad had in his bathroom. But no. I got mold and dead bugs.
Anna started sniffling and didn't dare touch the bed I was sitting on. "Okay, I don't need the crying Anna," Drew said sternly. My eyes widened at his sudden snap of anger. "I just carried you down through a near-death experience. The least you can do is enjoy the motel room that I got for twenty dollars. Foreigners get discounts apparently," he said, meeting my eyes. "I don't need the complaints. I can't feel my back and I'm pretty sure I'm getting sick, so do not say a word to me for the rest of the night!" he exclaimed, and stormed into the bathroom.
Once the water was running, I pulled Anna into a hug. "He's right sweetie. We need to be grateful we lived through that okay? Now let's rest up and hopefully we can call my dad in the morning." I said, drying Anna's tears. I pulled down the sheets and her in her damp outfit climbed into bed and fell right asleep. I looked at myself in the mirror. Praise the Lord for pony-tail holders. I put my wavy blonde hair up and felt a wave of exhaustion come over me.
"Don't get too comfortable, I hear Drew say as he walked out of the shower in his clothes. I raised my eyebrows. "I need to show you something," he smiled. We both headed out of the hotel room and into the lobby. The rain was starting to let up a little bit, and the road was fairly visible. We both peered out a window and I saw the city of Seattle light up before my eyes. "We're almost there,"
Drew smiled. I saw the space needle glow and the other buildings shine their colors. Even in the rain a sense of beauty could be seen.
"Dad? Yes, I'm fine." I said into the telephone. The sun was shining bright and the roads were being drained by the firemen. No one was out and all the businesses were closed. "I don't know where I am. No, it's a motel. Off of the highway. Yes, my car is somewhere in the water. Dad, I don't know, but I am alive!" I said. My dad rambled about how he was on his way and hung up. I gave the pay telephone to the innkeeper who just rolled his eyes.
We all settled into the lobby chairs awaiting my dad's arrival. After seeing the Seattle lights, Drew took my back to the room and tucked me in with Anna. Then he fell asleep on the couch and didn't wake up until after I had. I dreamt about Drew. I always dream about him, but last night was the most I had. I dreamt about his face, his arms carrying me, and his smile. He was perfect. He could talk like an angel and smile like the sun, but I wasn't sure if his main desire was my heart or not.
"Mandie, you okay?" Drew asked, his eyes staying on me. I smiled and nodded and continued to go back into my day dreams. "You're one crazy kid," he winked. I blushed and felt the butterflies swarm around inside of me. Sighing, I slowly felt my eyes drift to a close, and next thing I knew, Drew grabbed my hand and bent down and kissed it.
My eyes flew open and I felt a smile creep on my lips. "You're beautiful Mandie, and I'm just so happy you are alive." He whispered and let go of my hand. I blushed some more and smiled at him.
"Thank you Drew," and inside my head, I thought, I love you. I heard my dad's car pull up with his loud muzzle and I ran out into my dad's arms. Drew and Anna went to see their parents. My dad stroked my face.
"It's okay baby girl, it's okay." He said softly.
"I'm sorry dad, I'm so sorry, I just… I panicked and couldn't see, and my car…I'm sorry," I heard myself sob into his shirt. My dad shook his head.
"It's fine. You're alive and that's all that matters. Come on, let's go home okay?" he said and we headed out to out lake house.
Anna blabbed excitedly how strong her brother was and how he saved us and all her take on the adventure. I had never heard her talk that fast before. I sat in the back with Drew. We were having a thumb war as we listened to our parents gasp and laugh at Anna's story. Drew held my thumb down hard and I pulled away in pain. I hit him on the back and he grunted.
"Sorry, back hurts from yesterday," he whispered, not wanting to interrupt Anna. I apologized quickly and grabbed his hand again to begin another round of thumb wars. "You know," he said as he got my thumb again, "you were very easy to deal with through the whole thing," he said, as I got his thumb.
"Wow, thanks." I laughed and rolled my eyes. Drew coughed.
"No really," he said, crushing my thumb under his once more, "you were stunning through the entire near-death experience," he said, smiling. I shrugged.
"You know me, I tend to handle drastic situations well," I rolled my eyes, struggling to get my small thumb upon his. Drew quickly stopped the game and laced his fingers through mine.
"You are the bravest girl I've ever met, and I honor you for that. But next time, let's try to avoid my back okay?" he winked and unlaced his fingers. I felt my fingers jump for joy and they became hot and sweaty. Did that just happen? Was that a sign from him to me?
I looked out the window to see us pull up in front of a house with mossy trees and a beautiful lake behind it.
"Only twenty minutes away from downtown!" my dad told Drew's father. Drew helped me get out of the car and he had his hands on my shoulders as we walked up to the house. My dad turned the key to reveal the most beautiful home I had ever seen. It was like a cute cottage you would see in fairy-tales!
"Drew, you and Mandie's rooms are upstairs. Mandie's has the balcony, and Drew, you have the secret room," my dad winked. Drew smiled. I have him a questioning look but he ignored it and winked. I headed up to my room, ready to see the amazing shower I would be able to stand in. Right when I entered my room I saw the lake. I saw the beautiful sparkling lake in the distance off of the balcony. Catching my breath, I looked to see the small boat at our dock. Dad wanted me to be happy.
"Beautiful isn't it?" my dad exclaimed coming out onto the balcony with me, my dad put his arm around me. "You're beautiful Mandie, and I apologize for the way I haven't been there for you. But I want you to know I love you." He said. I looked up at my dad.
"Dad, I will always love you." I said and we both turned to head back into the house.
