-1I do not own Saved By The Bell. Neither do I own any of the original characters or storylines referred too. They all belong to Peter Engel/NBC productions. Neither am I anything to do with those companies. This is just a story by a fan of the show for other fans of the show. Neither is this story meant to express any personal political views, everything that happens is purely for the purpose of the story only.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Last Trip To The Hotel
At long last Jessie had Karen Pearson's divorce case all wrapped up. She had managed to get a settlement that was more than Karen had ever dreamed of. Karen now had enough money to buy a nice house for her and Stephanie and money to put aside. Karen kept trying to give Jessie some of it back for her services, but Jessie wouldn't hear of it.
'Jessie, you should let me pay you something. It' s not like its going to leave me short, especially now Lisa has offered me a job managing the gift store at Berry's.
Karen had got her cheque book out and Jessie had made her it away again.
'Karen, its over and done with, please can we just let this be the end of it.'
'Okay', Karen had finally given in, or so Jessie had thought. Jessie had then got home to find a big bunch of flowers with a card from Karen, saying thanks again.
'They are beautiful', she told Slater 'But Karen shouldn't have done it and not only that we are leaving for Palm Springs in an hour. They will just wilt here all weekend and they are too beautiful for that.'
'We could give them to Mum and Dad, we could drop them off along the way.'
'That's an idea, it would be such a shame to let them die. They must have cost Karen a fortune.'
'But Karen probably thinks its nothing compared to the divorce settlement you got for her.'
'I've got another settlement to think about now. I can't believe this is the last time I'm going to be staying at the hotel.'
'You mean , your never going to go back, even after the chain takes over and rebuilds it.?'
'No, I won't. It won't be the same. Places never are. I want to keep the happy memories as they are.'
When they arrived at the hotel, Lesley was waiting to meet them with Callum. He did look young , but he was clearly in love with Lesley.
'Hi, Callum, this is Jessie, my stepdaughter, her husband Slater and their daughter Zoe.'
'Nice to meet you all. Lesley has told me so much about you.'
'All good I hope', Jessie laughed as Callum took their bags to their suite for them.
'Lesley said you always have this suite when you stay.'
'And I guess this will be the last time.'
'Lesley said she has made reservations for us in the hotel restaurant tonight. I got to get going, so I'll see you all later.'
Once Callum had shut the door behind him, Jessie spoke as she started to unpack her clothes for the long weekend, including her work suit, she had packed for Monday morning when she and Lesley would be meeting with the owners of the hotel chain.
'Slater, I want to take Zoe to Dad's grave this afternoon. I'll have to get some flowers from the gift shop first. You want to come with us?'
'Sure.'
The cemetery was only a short drive away and when they got there, Jessie walked straight over to where her Father's grave was. Jessie gave her Father's picture in its frame a clean. It was the one she and Lesley had picked out to put on the grave a long time ago.
'Sorry its been a while Dad', Jessie put the picture frame back down and laid down the fresh flowers. 'I brought Zoe back to see you. She's growing up fast, look. Zoe , this is where your Grandad is buried. I wish he could have met you. The thing is Zoe, I'm sure he knew you would come along one day, even before we did.'
There was a time when Jessie felt incredibly stupid talking to her Dad at his grave, but Slater did it with Janine all the time and she had seen many other people do it at loved ones graves and now she didn't feel stupid about it at all. It felt like she was really talking to him. The fact that he couldn't talk back or that she didn't know if he could hear her or not, didn't really matter. She liked to believe he could hear her though.
'Zoe, I brought you hear to show off to your Grandad when you were just a baby. You wouldn't remember that.'
After that , Slater took Zoe back to the car to let Jessie have a few minutes alone at her Father's grave.
'It looks like Lesley and I are going to be selling the hotel Dad. I hope you understand that we are doing the right thing. You wouldn't like it there now , its not like when you were alive. I still miss you Dad. I see a bit of you in Zoe. She's certainly got a laid back personality and I can assure you that's one trait she certainly doesn't get from Slater or I or Mum or Slater's parents, so she must have inherited that from you. Dad I got to go now. I'm sorry I don't visit that often, but I always think about you you know. I promise, I'll try and visit again soon.'
Slater and Zoe were sat on the bench in front of the cemetery gates when she came out.
'You okay?'
'I think so Slater. Now I just need to get back to the hotel and get this meeting arranged with Lesley for Monday morning. Brian Turner came up trumps again and found us a brilliant business lawyer. Hang on Slater, you've got a big smile on your face. Come on, what's happened, tell me?'
'Okay, I got a phone call just now from Dan Taylor. They finished filming Unsung Hero. As they say in the industry , it's a wrap. Dan's invited us to a private screening next weekend.'
'Slater, that's brilliant news, Zoe they finally finished the film they were making about your late Aunty.'
After Zoe was in bed in her room in the suite that night, Jessie and Slater discussed whether they should let Zoe see Unsung Hero or not.
'It's getting parental guidance with a warning of an adult theme Dan said.'
'Zoe's an intelligent kid. I mean, we let her watch the news, she knows what goes on in the world. She asks us about stuff she sees on the news enough. I say we let her come and watch it with us.'
'Jessie, I'm just worried she won't understand some of it.'
'Look, all we have to say to her is that if there is anything she doesn't understand, she can ask us afterwards. Or is there something else?'
'You know what kids are like? What if she ends up wanting to be like Janine and wanting to go in the army or worse wanting to go an do volunteer work in a war zone when she grows up?'
'Slater, she is still in elementary school. Before she makes a career choice, she is going to go through all the usual kids dreams, she'll want to be an air hostess, a model, an actress, a nurse, a doctor, a lawyer and probably a lot of other things before she even gets to high school and really has to start to think about what she wants to do for real.'
'What about the violent scenes?'
'I thought Dan said there was only a couple. And Zoe knows there is good and evil in the world. Slater this is a chance to show Zoe what you have always wanted to, just how amazing Janine was and thanks to Dan, you can do that now.'
'Okay, we will take her with us to the private screening.'
Jessie didn't sleep well that night. She had the hotel on her mind and the fact that in less than forty-eight hours time , it would no longer be anything to do with her.
The meeting took place at nine the following morning and by eleven the papers were signged for a record amount the chain had ever paid for a hotel and the money was transferred and split between Jessie and Lesley's bank accounts.
When the owners of the chain said they were going to knock the place down and rebuild from scratch , Jessie felt a bit better about the whole thing. If the hotel was going, she would rather it went completely as she remembered it.
After it was all done, they spent the afternoon having a final splash about in the pool with Callum and Lesley.
'So Lesley, what are you and Callum going to do now you don't have this place to worry about?', Jessie asked them.
'We are not sure yet, except for take a long holiday, we were thinking of a world cruise maybe.'
'Very nice indeed.'
'I think I deserve it, all the hard work I have put in here over the years.'
'I'll say you do Lesley.'
Later on, they all ate in the restaurant together for the last time and then they went to sleep in what had been Jessie's Dad's hotel for the last time. Or rather Jessie tried to sleep, but once again she couldn't. She was going over all the happy memories she had of the place. And once again she found herself looking out at the golf course from the balcony, just like she had after her Father had died. So much had happened between then and now. She spotted a couple of die hard golfers going round the course, even though it was four in the morning.
'You Mrs Spano-Slater can be so predictable sometimes', Slater came up behind her and put his arms round her. 'When I woke up and saw you weren't there, I just knew you would be out here.'
'Just taking one final look before the bulldozers move in. It won't be long Slater, these big chains, they don't hang around. Slater , I had some of the money transferred straight away. We now totally own our house.'
'Jessie, that's great news.'
'I thought you would be pleased. I know how you worried about it, even though it was the profits from this place that always paid the small mortgage we had every month.'
'I just wish I could have helped put more towards it.'
'Slater, we've been through this too many times before, lets not go through it again.'
'I know, it's the male chauvinist pig in me rearing its ugly head again', Slater smiled and then kissed her on the cheek . 'I just had to say it before you did that time.'
Jessie even managed to laugh at that, it was so true.
Then for a while Jessie carried on looking out from the balcony, still reliving the many happy memories she had of times gone by at the hotel.
'Are you coming back to bed or are you going to stay out here the rest of the night or rather the rest of the morning? It's nearly five Jessie.'
'Okay, I get the hint, I'm coming back in now , I really should try and get some sleep.'
'Me too, Zoe will be coming through the door waking us up before we know it.'
A few hours later having had a little bit of sleep, Jessie took one last look around the suite and then closed the door on it and handed the key back to reception for the last time and then went to say goodbye to Lesley.
'I guess it's the end of an era.'
'Callum and I have been talking about opening up a small bed and breakfast when we get back from our cruise. When we do , you know your all be welcome to stop by at any time.'
'Of course, thanks Lesley. So when are the bulldozers moving in?'
'A weeks time, but the chain are giving the staff jobs in their other hotels in the area while this place is being rebuilt. So nobody is out of a job, which is something I am relieved about.'
'Me too', Jessie had hated the thought of any of the staff, some of which had been there many years, losing their jobs, they were grateful the chain that had taken over had assured them that would not happen. In fact, some of the staff, they had even able to been promote in to more senior positions at one of their larger hotels in the area.
As they got in to the car and Slater pulled away from the hotel, Jessie looked back long after the hotel had faded in to the distance, but the memories she would have forever. And when the did arrive home , she went through some pictures of the weekends she had stayed with her Dad at the hotel as a teenager and on occasions when she had been home from college.
'Hey Jessie, now I'm completely recovered, I think we should take a long haul holiday this summer' , Slater suggested a little while later. 'I've always wanted to take you to New Zealand, show you the places I lived when I was there. What do you think? My treat.'
'Slater, I would love too. I've always wanted to see New Zealand for myself. The pictures you have from the country are so pretty.'
'It's even more beautiful when you see it for real. I can't wait for you and Zoe to see it.'
'You sure your up to long haul travel?'
'Jessie, I already checked it out with my doctor, I'm perfectly fine and healthy now.'
'In that case, book the tickets.'
