Sometimes, you get that guest. The one person who makes you smile, or makes you laugh. You break the shell of professionalism, and the break their's of anonymity, and you get to know each other.
One guest for me was Eric.
Eric and his family stayed here for three months last winter when their home suffered ice damage from the winter. I got to know him, his wife, and their two small children.
Eric was a very happy go lucky kind of guy. His glass was 2/3rds full, if not more. He was also an insomniac who spent most of the night in the lobby or the breakfast room chatting with me or on his laptop. We would crack each other up with crazy stories or funny things we heard. He told me about his wife, and his kids, and what his next big project was going to be. Eric was always about to start some business or had a money making idea.
Near the end of thier stay, he started suffereing from stomach pains. Thinking it was an ulcer or a hernia, he went to the doctor. Not much was found.
A few times, he ended up in the ER for pain before finally they had a diagnosis.
It was cancer.
We watched Eric as he went started his treatments and slowly began to waste away over only less than a month. He passed away only ten days after checking out, spending that with hospice at home. I attended his funeral as a representative of our hotel where he spent the last three months of his life.
I also went because he was my friend.
His wife is a guest here right now, but I haven't had a chance to speak with her yet. Is she here as a memorial to her husband's last home? I'm not sure. But tonight, we'll remember Eric with a pizza - meat, of course - and a glass of beer, laughing together with friends.
Because that's how he would have wanted it.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment