The Rescue

While sitting in the backseat of my dear friend’s car en route to Newark, New Jersey one afternoon, I called my brother, John, to remind him that I was due to travel to Costa Rica early the next morning for a long anticipated vacation to visit my daughter, Maureen, and her boyfriend, Tom. Those two lovebirds were spending the winter on the Nicoya Peninsula just a few blocks from the beautiful Pacific Ocean. They were kind enough to invite me to join them for a ten day stay. And, I was wise enough to accept  their gracious offer.

Our wonderful family friend, Mark, and his son, James, offered to drive me to my hotel near the Newark Airport on their way to Madison Square Garden to watch a Rangers’ hockey game. Perfect. As soon as their conversation drifted deeply into sports, I decided that a chat with my brother would be a good diversion. I have a funny habit of checking in with my seven siblings before I hop on a plane to anywhere. Ever since that Malaysian plane disappeared midair, I’ve had the urge to hear their voices before taking off into the wild blue yonder. It’s not that I think disaster is possibly looming for my flight. But, connecting with them gives me a sense of comfort that just plain makes me feel good. 

As soon as Mark, my chauffeur for the day, ascertained that I was talking to John, he offered an hello from the front seat which John immediately returned. These two men have always shared a friendly football rivalry involving The New York Giants and The Philadelphia Eagles. So, gentle taunting took place. Then, all of a sudden, my brother asked me why Mark would be driving me to the Philadelphia Airport ( my usual airport ) when he lives in North Jersey. I explained that I would be departing from the Newark Airport in the morning and would be staying in a hotel nearby.

At once, John let out a booming, “WHAT? You’re staying at a hotel near the Newark Airport when I only live fifteen minutes away? Why aren’t you staying with me?” I started to laugh and say, “ Don’t tell me you live near the airport?”    “Yes! Yes, I do. Please cancel your hotel plans and spend the night at my house. I’ll make dinner for us and we’ll have a great evening.” Well, as nice an offer as that was, I knew it was too late to obtain a refund on my room. So, I reluctantly declined my brother’s kind offer and asked for a raincheck. Plus, I wasn’t sure that he really lived only fifteen minutes from the airport. We all know people who say things like that but actually mean more like 35 to 45 minutes. I had to be up and at it by 4:30 the next morning and it was snowing. So, I figured that that plan might not be the best under those circumstances.

Now, in case you’re wondering why I didn’t know the close proximity between his home and the airport, I have two good excuses. First of all, no one in South Jersey, where I live, knows anything about North Jersey. The reverse is true, as well. Secondly, most of our large family lives in Margate City which is in the southern part of the state. John and his family travel to our events all the time. But, we rarely travel north to his home because there are simply too many of us to stay overnight. So, you may think the story ends there. But, no. There’s a rescue involved. My big brother saved the day for me and I’ll be forever grateful. Here’s what happened…

The hotel (and, I use that word loosely) where I reserved a room turned out to be somewhat of a nightmare. I didn’t book my accommodations until the day before because there had been another plan in the works which didn’t require an overnight stay. But, that eventually fell through. By the time I started looking for hotels, the majority of them ( meaning the good ones! ) were already sold out. So, I settled on a hotel that had a degree of name recognition. It was across the street from the airport which I thought could be a real plus as it was March and the ground was covered in snow. My first clue that this establishment was less than stellar should have been the fact that there were no reviews for it online. In this day and age, reviews are everything. 

It didn’t seem like a big deal to me when I was safe and sound at home making the reservation because I thought to myself how bad could it be as I recognized the brand name. And, I knew that I would only be there a short night as I had to be at the airport by 5:00 am for the early flight. Oh, what could go wrong? Don’t be too fussy, I thought to myself. Just book it and be done with it. It will all work out well, I assumed. Boy, was I in for shock and awe mixed with serious regret.

As Mark, James and I pulled into the parking lot of the hotel, we all sort of looked at each other with questioning expressions. I quickly calmed their fears by assuring them that I would be fine. I told them that it couldn’t be as bad as it seemed. After all, the name brand and everything. I felt that I had no option but to grin and bare it at that point. So, I sent them on their merry way to the hockey game with much reluctance on their part. If I had allowed them to come inside the lobby with me, they never would have let me stay. They’re true blue friends that way. But, I hurried them along because I knew they had a schedule to keep.

Big mistake. Huge! As they pulled away and I opened the lobby door, I felt like I was entering another world altogether. It was an unsightly room completely devoid of charm. I had looked forward a bit to getting inside because it was freezing outside in the March air only to realize immediately that there was little to no heat in the lobby. The room consisted of old benches pressed up against the windows with a bare, dirty looking linoleum floor. It was dimly lit which was probably intentional, I thought to myself. Now, I’m not the spoiled type who requires nothing but the best in every situation. But, this place was starting to give me the creeps. Little did I know what lie ahead.

I cautiously walked up to the front desk which was small, scratched up and dented and asked the clerk for the key to my room. He gave it to me with directions on how to locate it. I tried to muster up an adventurous spirit as I walked out into the cold, dark night. I kept telling myself that before I know it, I will be on a plane to Costa Rica and this will all be a distant memory. 

This hotel was more like a motel in it’s design. The rooms were separate from the lobby building and around back in what could only be described as a spooky courtyard, of sorts. All I could think of was oh boy, what have I gotten myself into? I suddenly missed Mark, James and everyone I’ve ever known immensely. 

My room was on the second floor just above the dumpsters which I was sure were full of rats that would be ascending the rickety, outside stairs along side me any minute now. My mind was starting to conjure up wild ideas. When I turned the key in the doorknob, the door opened before it should have. Before the key turned all the way. Not a good omen for this dwelling. The door itself was so flimsy that I’m sure I could have single handedly broken it down. Not very reassuring. Everything inside was so old and decrepit that I couldn’t bring myself to sit down on the beds, or the lone chair. That room had seen better days, for sure. The bathroom was quite yucky to say the least. And, there was a series of little holes in the wall just above each bed. I’m sure they were drilled there so that the exterminator could spray chemicals to end the bedbug epidemic that went on prior to my arrival. Oh, Lordy!!! This place should have been torn down twenty years ago.

At that moment, I only knew one thing for sure. I was out of there. No way, Jose, was I going to spend one more minute in that sad excuse for a hotel. Oh, no! Before I abandoned the room, the universe seemed to want to give me one more reason for an exit. The sliding glass door on the far side of the room. It was so loose and unstable that an intruder would classify it a “piece of cake” to open. No effort needed whatsoever.   Okay. Enough signs. My decision to bail out couldn’t have been easier. Fortunately, I knew I had my big brother, John, as a plan B. Time for a phone call.

But, what if he was just being the nice guy he always is to everyone? What if he really didn’t live that close to the airport? What if the snow prevented him from picking me up, or dropping me off at the airport at 5:00 am? Oh boy. Don’t panic, Shelagh. Plan B definitely has to work because Plan A has officially fallen through. Flat on its face. My hands were numb from the cold as I dialed John’s number in the dark, dreaded courtyard. 

Much to my delight, he was thrilled that I needed to be rescued. He had his hat & coat on before I could even tell him about the hotel. He told me to save the story for the car ride and to look for him in fifteen minutes. Yay! I knew that my next move had to be to try to get a refund on the room. The desk clerk/manager/only employee on the premises did not take kindly to my situation. He acted mystified by my unfavorable critique of the hotel. He was not at all happy when I politely, yet firmly, described my room as unsanitary and unsafe. He refused to take the charge off my credit card. Fortunately, later that evening, I was able to get it dropped when I called the main headquarters. Somehow, miraculously, I just happened to have the magic phone number that reached a considerate person who seemed spooked by my legitimate claim that I didn’t feel safe staying there. 

At that point, I just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible because I was so cold and the whole thing was giving me a bad feeling. Just in the nick of time, John showed up. Exactly fifteen minutes after I called him. Not one minute later. He could see me in the lobby through the window before I could see him. So, he came inside to get me. What I remember him saying distinctly was, “Hurray up! Just get in the car quickly!” Before we pulled out of the parking lot, he said, “That lobby reminded me of the worst bus station I’ve ever been in!” I laughed in agreement and joy that it was finally over. He cringed at my tale. 

During the car ride ( the exactly, for sure, fifteen minute car ride! ), John described the delightful dinner he was cooking up for us at his home. I was finally starting to relax. During my hotel ordeal, it had not occurred to me that I had no plan for dinner had I stayed there. On top of everything, I would have been mighty hungry. That really, really would have been a long night’s journey into day. 

The evening turned out to be wonderful. John & I caught up on our lives and those of our children over a hot, tasty meal and a little television. All was well. I got a good night’s sleep. Very peaceful. And, as promised, he drove me to the Newark Airport leaving his home at 4:45 am in the dark and snow and arriving at precisely 5:00 am. Fifteen minutes! I told my very kind brother that I’d never forget the rescue and how much it meant to me. I said that maybe I’d even write about it some day!