Once Upon a Summertime Read online

  This was not going at all how Anna had hoped. She had planned to use Marley’s career change to segue into her own revised plans. “I’m sure it wouldn’t be your cup of tea, Grandma.” Anna smiled patiently. “But honestly, I’ve never seen Marley happier.”

  “Yes, well, I’m glad for her. I suppose one has to sow one’s oats. Best to do it while you’re young. I’ll wager that she’ll tire of flying all over the place someday. Then she can return to a more dependable job—like teaching.” Grandma nodded as if this settled it.

  Anna was rethinking her approach now. Obviously, her plan of getting Grandma on board with Marley’s new lifestyle was not working. Time to move to the second part of her strategy. “You know that the reason I was attracted to working at the Value Lodge was to gain some managerial experience,” she said carefully.

  “Yes.” Grandma nodded as she buttered a piece of bread. “And you’ve got almost two years in. That’s impressive.”

  “Yes, well, I think maybe two years is enough.”

  “Enough?” Grandma set her knife down. “What do you mean?”

  Anna started telling her the truth, starting with the troubles with Mickey and the rest of the staff and how her dreams of making improvements were constantly dashed. “The Value Lodge is just not where I see myself in the future,” she finally said.

  “Oh.” Grandma just stared at her.

  “I’m sorry,” Anna said contritely. “I know your friends Rich and Sharon were very generous to give me this opportunity, especially straight out of college. I had hoped that I would bring something to the job. Instead, I just feel stuck.”

  “I see.”

  “I really appreciate that I was able to earn enough to pay off my student loans,” she continued. “I’ve managed to put aside some nice savings too.”

  Grandma just nodded.

  “I feel like I’ve hurt your feelings,” Anna said sadly. “Like you think I’m not grateful for all you’ve done for me.” She felt tears coming. “But I am. I really am. I don’t know where I’d be without you, Grandma. I’ll always be thankful for all you’ve done for me. Please don’t feel bad.”

  Grandma blinked. “Oh no, I don’t feel bad, Anna. I was just thinking about all you were saying.”

  “Oh?”

  “I never expected you to stay here in Springville forever, dear girl.”

  “You didn’t?”

  “No, of course not.”

  Anna felt slightly blindsided. “So you don’t mind if I move on?”

  “Not if you have a good solid place to go.” Grandma reached for another serving of tamales.

  “Well, I don’t really know for sure what I’ll do next, but Marley told me about something that might have potential.” She began telling Grandma about the boutique hotel in SoHo, starting out cautiously but gaining enthusiasm the more she talked about it.

  Grandma seemed surprised. “New York City? You’d actually want to live there?”

  “Yes,” Anna declared. “I’ve always dreamed of working for a specialty hotel in a large city like New York. I realize it’s probably a long shot for me, but if it really happened—well, I would be thrilled.”

  “You honestly think you could be happy in such a big, busy place?”

  “I absolutely do. I’ll admit that it would be a huge challenge and a major adjustment. But I think it’d be truly rewarding. I could finally use the skills and training I got in college.” Anna confessed how she’d dreamed of working for a hotel that appreciated the finer things in life. “With all the amenities and where the guests come first.” She sighed. “Instead of boasting the cheapest rates in town, we would practice true hospitality.”

  Grandma smiled. “When you say it like that, it really does sound appealing.”

  Anna continued talking about the things she’d love to see practiced in an upscale hotel. “I’ve even heard of quality hotels that cater to singles, offering a social hour where they meet and greet,” she said. “Not anything improper, of course, but just a way for single professionals to mingle while they’re visiting from out of town.” She went on and on but eventually realized that her grandmother was probably getting overwhelmed. “Sorry,” she said quietly. “I guess you can see this is something I feel passionate about.”

  “I never realized how important this was to you.”

  For a long moment, they both just sat at the small kitchen table. Anna could hear the kitchen clock ticking and a lawnmower running outside. “So you don’t mind if I pursue something like this?” Anna asked hopefully. “I mean, even if the hotel in New York doesn’t work out, well, there might be another hotel somewhere else.”

  Grandma reached over and clasped Anna’s hand. “I want you to follow your dreams, Anna. That’s all I ever wanted.”

  “Really?” Anna couldn’t hide her surprise. “You don’t want me to stay here with you and keep working at the Value Lodge?”

  Grandma laughed, waving her other hand. “Oh, my dear. You know how small this apartment is. Did you really think I expected you to keep sleeping on the sofa forever?”

  “No, probably not.”

  “It was just a stopping place until you were ready for the next stage of your life.” Grandma made a little sigh. “Of course, I love having you here. I will miss you. But I never want to stand in the way of your dreams.”

  Anna got up, went around the table, and wrapped her arms around her grandma’s shoulders to hug her. “Thank you,” she said happily. “You don’t know how much that means to me.”

  “If you ever need to come home, you know you are always welcome.” Grandma slowly stood and Anna could see that her eyes were misty. For that matter, Anna’s were too.

  “The same will be true for you,” Anna declared as she began to clear the table. “If I have a home someday, you will always be welcome. You can live with me or just visit or whatever.”

  “I’ve heard it’s terribly expensive to live in New York City,” Grandma said as Anna took her empty plate. “Do you think you’ll make enough to afford your rent?”

  “Managerial jobs in good hotels pay pretty well,” Anna said as she rinsed the plates. “I’m sure I’ll be just fine.”

  “Maybe they will let you live in the hotel.”

  “Maybe.” Anna said this for Grandma’s benefit, not because she thought it was true. “Or maybe I can share an apartment with Marley.” Again, she said this for her grandmother. From what she’d heard, Marley’s apartment was already overly full.

  “Oh, wouldn’t that be fun for you two girls.” Grandma smiled as she covered the leftovers with foil. “I remember when I was about your age. Actually, I suppose I was quite a bit younger, but I felt very grown-up at the time. My best friend Karla and I were just nineteen when we both got jobs in Indianapolis.”

  “What?” Anna was shocked. “I’ve never heard about this.”

  Grandma chuckled. “Well, it was all rather short-lived. You see, Karla and I had taken business classes in high school, and we got the idea we could make it in the big city. It was the mid-sixties, and a lot of young women were pursuing careers. We both got hired at a big insurance company, and with the help of our parents, we managed to rent ourselves a little apartment right downtown.”

  “I had no idea.” Anna shook her head as she placed a plate in the dishwasher. “I always thought you and Grandpa were high school sweethearts and that you got married right out of high school.”

  “It’s true we were high school sweethearts. But your grandpa got drafted into the army right after graduation. Got sent straight to Vietnam. That’s when Karla and I got it into our heads to go out and try our wings. I must admit that it was all rather exciting, for a spell anyway. We only lasted about a year before it all came apart.” Grandma frowned as she hung up a dish towel.

  “What went wrong?”

  “Oh . . . several things. Karla got involved with a fellow—he turned out to be good for nothing, but poor Karla didn’t see it. She married him anyway. That marriage didn�
��t last for long.”

  “What about you?”

  Grandma made a sheepish smile. “Even before Karla decided to part ways with me, I was already homesick for my family. I missed the farm and the slower paced lifestyle. I went back home to live with my parents. Stayed there until your grandpa came home from Vietnam. That’s when we got married.”

  “I never knew that.” Anna closed the dishwasher door.

  Grandma winked. “Well, a girl’s got to have a few secrets.”

  Anna laughed.

  Grandma let out a sigh as she wiped off the kitchen table. “Then your mother came along, just a couple years after we got married. I thought our lives were so complete.”

  Anna cringed inwardly. She really didn’t want Grandma to go there unless she really needed to. She knew how painful the memories could be for her—how difficult it was to talk about Anna’s mother, both for Grandma and for Anna. As Grandma often said, some stones were better left unturned.

  “Your grandpa and I had a lot of happy years,” Grandma continued wistfully.

  “I know.” Anna filled a glass with water, taking a long sip.

  “And we had some hard years.”

  Anna nodded. She was well aware that her mother had made some bad choices in life—she’d gotten pregnant at seventeen, married an addict, and moved away from the protection of her parents, and her sad little life had ended tragically. These were facts Anna could never escape, and some of those early childhood memories remained indelibly imprinted in her mind.

  “Your mother lived life on her own terms. In a lot of ways she reminded me of my old friend Karla.” Grandma hung the dishrag over the faucet, then turned to peer into Anna’s eyes. “I’m so relieved that you are not like your mother, Anna. Not in that regard. I feel certain you will never make the same mistakes that she made.”

  Anna nodded with a somber expression. “You can count on that.”

  Grandma hugged Anna now. “I won’t be worried about you, Anna. I know you will be okay—even in a big city like New York. You have a good head on your shoulders.”

  Anna felt tears in her eyes. “If I do have a good head on my shoulders, it’s because of you, Grandma. I owe you my gratitude.”

  Grandma patted her on the back. “And the Good Lord too. Let’s give credit where credit is due.”

  5

  As Anna walked to work the following morning, her feelings were mixed. One part of her wanted to skip and sing—in the hopes that she might be getting a job offer from New York before too long. The other part of her was dreading the follow-up meeting she had scheduled with some of her less than motivated staff members. What had she been thinking? Wouldn’t it have been easier to just let them continue sliding? Then she could simply make a quiet exit and move on to new and better things—a life beyond the Value Lodge.

  “I hear there’s going to be a showdown,” Jacob said as she came through the lobby.

  She grimaced. “Uh, yes, I guess so.”

  He frowned. “You don’t sound very enthusiastic.”

  She took in a deep breath. “I know there are things that need to be said. I’m just not sure I still want to say them.”

  He pointed at the box of doughnuts in her hands. “Looks like you came prepared.”

  She smiled. “I thought I might be able to sweeten them up a little.”

  “Before you really give it to ’em?” he teased.

  She set the pink box on the counter, then went around to put away her purse. “I plan on ending the meeting in time to be back for my shift,” she told him as she pinned on her name tag. “But if it runs longer, do you mind?”

  “Not at all. I wish I could be a fly on the wall while you’re giving ’em what for.”

  She frowned. “So you think it’s a good thing I’m doing this?”

  “If I was head manager, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”

  “But you don’t want to be head manager?” She studied him closely, wondering if he regretted not taking this position back when he’d had the chance—and whether he’d jump on it after she left. “You still like being Mr. Mom while Kendra goes to work during the day?”

  “It’s a good setup. I get time with Maizie during the day, plus I actually get some studying done during the night shift here. No complaints from me.”

  “Right.” Anna picked up her box of doughnuts, bracing herself as she headed for the staff room.

  “Good luck,” he called.

  She suspected she would need good luck as she headed down the hallway. This would not be easy. And yet, she reminded herself, she would probably emerge a bigger, better person—not to mention manager—for it.

  “Hello,” she said cheerily as she entered the room where her disgruntled staff members were loitering. Mickey, seated on the table, appeared to be holding court with several of the housekeeping girls. Meanwhile, Shawna was glaring at him from across the room.

  “I brought doughnuts.” Anna set the box down, opening it up as if it contained the crown jewels. To her relief, this got their attention, and as they were helping themselves, she positioned herself at the head of the table.

  “Well, you know why I called this meeting,” she began in an official-sounding tone. “It’s because as manager, I care about the quality of service and accommodations we offer our valued guests here at the Value Lodge.” Okay, she could hear how silly this sounded as it rolled off her tongue. Really, the Value Lodge cared about quality? Since when? “And because I care about quality, I care about you.” She made a forced smile. “You see, I was thinking about the name of our motel—the Value Lodge—and I got to thinking that the key word is value.” She pointed at Shawna. “Do you value yourself?”

  Shawna shrugged.

  “How about you?” Anna pointed to a maid. “And you?” She pointed to another. “Do you all value yourselves? Because I think that if you do value yourself, you will care about how you perform your jobs here at the Value Lodge.” She smiled. “I know, I know, you might be thinking that you deserve a better job—something more than just housekeeping. But do you realize that this is the place where lots of people start out? Did you know I once worked in housekeeping too? I used my time cleaning rooms to prepare me for the next step on my career ladder. I took my work seriously and I did the best I could.” She waved toward them. “That’s all I’m asking of you. Just to do your best.”

  “And if we don’t?” Mickey narrowed his eyes slightly. “You’re going to give us the boot?”

  She took on a somber expression. “That’s my job. As manager, I must do what needs to be done to ensure that our guests receive the quality of service and accommodations they deserve.”

  “What they deserve?” Mickey stood up. “This is the Value Lodge, Anna. You can act like it’s all about being valued, but we all know that the Value Lodge means just one thing. It’s cheap.” He winked at a maid. “We all know that you get what you pay for.” He chuckled. “If our guests want to be treated like they’re at the Ritz, they should go to the Ritz. Right?” He looked at the others as if he expected their support.

  “Right,” one of the newer maids echoed. “Like Mickey said, the guests get what they pay for. This place is cheap. Why should they expect more?”

  “They don’t even leave tips,” another maid complained. “I hear that in some places—nicer places than this—the guests leave tips.”

  “Yeah,” Mickey agreed. “If our guests want us to treat them better, they should leave tips.”

  Anna tried not to be distracted by the ridiculousness of this statement. “The bottom line is that each one of you here was hired to do a specific job. You all know what that job is—right?” She waited, watching as they reluctantly nodded. “It’s all spelled out for you. I shouldn’t have to play policeman and follow you around and remind you of what you’re expected to do, should I?”

  A couple of them shook their heads no, but the others just stared blankly at her, and Mickey reached for another doughnut. She looked at the motley crew and wo
ndered if perhaps she really was expecting too much from them. She considered pointing out how the Gonzales sisters were an exemplary illustration of what a good employee should look like. However, she knew this would only make life more miserable for Rita and Consuelo, so she didn’t.

  “Does anyone have any questions?” she asked in a slightly sharp tone. She knew this meeting had been a complete waste of time, not to mention doughnuts. “Okay, then”—she took in a deep breath—“as of now, you are all on disciplinary probation. If you fail to perform your job as expected, you will be let go.” She looked around the table, trying to lock eyes with each of them, which wasn’t possible since most of them were either staring blankly or looking at their phones. “Perhaps you know of other job opportunities in Springville,” she said in exasperation. “Places where employees get paid not to do their jobs. If so, you may want to send them your résumés.”

  “Yeah, right.” Mickey made a sarcastic laugh. “Maybe that’s what you should be doing, Anna. If you’re so unhappy with your staff, I mean. Did you ever stop to think that the problem might not be with us?” He pointed at her. “But maybe it’s with you?” Naturally this elicited a few giggles.

  She looked him in the eyes. “That’s a possibility, Mickey. The truth is, I am not cut out to run a motel that is substandard. The reason I’ve called you all on the carpet today is so that we can make this place better.” She looked hopefully at them. “Really, wouldn’t it feel nice to work in a motel that had a reputation for quality? A place that people came to not because it was cheap but because it offered great hospitality?”

  Again she got the blank stares, or else the heads bent downward with eyes on their phones. Clearly, these people couldn’t care less. “Well, thanks for coming,” she said glumly. “Keep in mind what I said. I’m not kidding—your jobs could be at serious risk.” Without saying another word, she turned and left. She had no doubt that her words had fallen on deaf ears.

  “How did it go?” Jacob asked quietly as she returned to the reception area.

  “How do you think it went?”