Luna de Miel Chapter Ten: The Hotel Nacional
Liveried doormen held open the weighty glass and wooden doors for them at the top of the steps. As they neared the entrance, a bearded man scooted past, brushing against Carmen without even a word. Rude, thought Mano. And his dress this time of year-odd that he wears a heavy woollen suit. As if to verify the oddity, Mano scanned the grand foyer, seeing only thin capes and lightweight attire before his attention was diverted.
"May I help you, señor?" a mincing voice inquired.
"Reservación. Señor y Señora Manolo de Montoya," he replied to the clerk, a wizened middle aged man, thin with a narrow moustache, who waited behind an enormous carved mahogany front desk.
"Ah, Señor Montoya, how privileged we are to having you staying with us. The bridal suite has been prepared and you may go up immediately." The clerk rang the desk bell and a bellhop skipped across the marble foyer to take care of the luggage which the doorman had already placed by the desk. The hotel manager, a tall man with wiry black hair and a full moustache, emerged to introduce himself as Señor Garza and to welcome them also before stepping back into his office behind the desk.
"This way please, Señor Montoya." the bellhop squeaked in a voice that revealed his youth. He led them to a fine carpeted staircase with polished mahogany banisters and balustrades. Brass and crystal gaslight chandeliers sparkled and illuminated the rich interior of the hotel with its thick carpets, shining marble floors, gleaming mahogany furniture, velvet upholstery, and satin draperies.
"I feel a bit dizzy, Manolito," Carmen admitted. He kept a firm hold on her arm, ready to catch her should she stumble, as they ascended three flights of stairs. Must be the heat, he thought. The bellhop wheezed his way up, pulling one heavy trunk, leaving the other below to be fetched later.
"Oh, it is lovely, Manolo!" Carmen exclaimed as the bellhop unlocked the door to their quarters and stepped aside for them to enter. "How many rooms? Three? A sitting area! And a separate dressing area? Oooh, look at the bed!" she said, peering in the bedroom where Mano had already gone to investigate that item of furniture. A grand four-poster, almost as ornate as their new bed at home. At least we'll be comfortable, he thought.
"Mi vida?" she called from the doorway.
"Coming Carmen," and he reappeared in their sitting room, dodging the bellhop carrying the trunk into the bedchamber. "What is it my love?" The bellhop scurried past to fetch the second trunk, bowing to Mano who tipped him and asked him to send up a maid to help Carmen unpack.
"Did you notice that strange man we saw below, the one wearing that heavy suit?" Carmen asked as the bellhop scooted out the door.
"I saw him walking into the hotel, if that's what you mean. He almost ran into you."
"No, in the lobby. Did you see him in the lobby?"
"No. I did not notice."
"He was sitting next to another man, also bearded. They had a newspaper between them," she said as she removed her jacket and hat, unpinning and loosening her hair and tossing her head and long, black curls."They were dressed oddly. As if for winter."
"They may have come from somewhere cold and not realized how much warmer it is in Sonora."
"Yes, but the newspaper was in French. I noticed the headlines."
"That's not so strange, dearest. There are many visitors to this country."
"I would expect to see them in Mexico City, but Hermosillo?" She moved to the bedroom to hang up her jacket. He followed.
"Perhaps they are touring the region."
"If they were, they would know about our climate, surely?"
"Hmm." Mano also thought these details perhaps strange but insignificant. "Well, it does not matter to us, beloved. We are in a charming suite. We have tickets for the theatre tonight and a reservation for a lovely supper afterwards in one of the finest restaurants in the city."
"Oh where, Mano? Maison Georges? El Gaucho?"
"No, and I am not telling you. You will have to be patient," he replied, taking her in his arms. She smiled and kissed him, both happier than they had ever been.
VKS & MJRod claim the creation of Carmen Navarro, although we took her first name from a David Dortort script proposal. We also are the creators of the Vargas clan , Rancho Navarro and its people including Delgado, and all of the characters in and around Hermosillo. We would have nothing to create were it not for our favorite western, "The High Chaparral," to which we pay tribute.