Letting Go (Chapter-5)

Jilliana

Because it was summer, the season of beachgoers and tourists, a drive that should have been 30 minutes took over an hour on the Southbound 405 freeway. Jilliana, who had been making the commute for a year now, kept herself entertained by skipping through classic rock, alternative, and oldies radio to avoid commercials. She reached for her phone while at a dead stop, realized it was completely out of battery, and tossed it to the passenger’s seat before pulling a cigarette from the glove compartment.

By the time Jilliana pulled up to the Marriott Hotel, it was almost three o’clock. She parked in the lot of an AMC across the street, put on her sunglasses, and walked across and through the glass doors of the hotel. Once inside, she moved swiftly passed the check-in desks and toward JW’s Steakhouse - the hotel restaurant located beside the pool.

Dave, the concierge with dark, curly hair, perked up the moment Jilliana approached.

“Jilliana, good to see you! You look - great. As always,” he reached for a menu, “I’m assuming you’ll be getting the usual, but just in case-”

“Oh Dave,” Jilliana lifted her sunglasses, “You know I only come for the spicy curly fries.”

Dave smiled and placed the menu back. “Well, if you need anything at all you know where to find me.”

“You got it,” Jilliana smiled flirtatiously and took several steps toward a small table before turning back.

“Actually, Dave - I could use some help with something.”

“Of course!” Dave swiftly turned to face her, “what can I help you with?”

“My phone, it ran out of battery. And, I don’t have a charger so-”

“I have one! An IPhone, right?”

Jilliana nodded, “yes, an Iphone--”

“One minute - I’ll be right back.”

Ten minutes later Jilliana was lounging at the poolside with a basket of hot curly fries and iced lemonade. Her phone was charging behind the bar, being guarded by Marc - the bartender who seemed both thrilled and honored that Jilliana would ask him to watch her phone while she a enjoyed an afternoon tan.

Jilliana had become somewhat of a celebrity at this hotel, which was why she drove such a distance to maintain her status and use its amenities - for free - on the weekends. She had tried this at other Marriott locations - walking in, purchasing something at the restaurant, then enjoying the pool and Jacuzzi as though she were a guest. But this wouldn’t last beyond one or two weeks; a hotel employee would eventually ask to see her room key and, after listening to Jilliana lie about having lost it, would politely ask her to leave the premises.

But this Marriott was different. Not only had Jilliana gotten away with using the facilities, but she knew and was known by nearly every employee who worked the pool and spa area. She was treated not only as a guest, but an honored guest - and all it took was some strategic outfit decisions and flirting with the staff who, at this location, had a higher men to women employee ratio.

It wasn’t until Jilliana had finally reached a calm enough state to doze off that she thought of Roy. She always tried to keep her hookups separate from her personal life, but this one-night stand was different. This time Jilliana had stolen from him, and she knew that Roy - unless he was truly an idiot - was probably back at her apartment by now to get his money back. Serena would deal with it, she thought, she always does.

Jilliana knew, deep down, that what she’d done was horrible. It wasn’t the stealing itself that affected her; she had begun stealing when she was a teenager, just to see if she’d be able to get away with it. It wasn’t until she got older that she turned her hobby into a way of life, stealing things big enough to be important, but small enough not to get caught. What she did had been stupid - taking money for a bill that she couldn’t pay, knowing in the end that she’d be caught - but that night, being as drunk as she was, it seemed like the logical thing to do.

Jilliana pushed herself from the lounge chair, grabbed two curly fries, and ate them as she walked toward the bar.

“What can I get you, Jilliana?” Marc swiftly turned to her, ignoring a couple who had sat down on the opposite side of the bar, “Lemonade on the rocks?”

“No, I’m good,” Jilliana leaned over the bar and watched Marc’s eyes drop to her breasts, “Just my phone...”

She smiled flirtatiously when Marc lifted his eyes to meet hers. He turned and unplugged her phone from the outlet.

“I get off in an hour,” Marc said as he passed it over, “maybe we can get a drink - somewhere else?”

Jilliana took the phone and glanced at the screen. There were 5 missed calls, 8 texts, and 3 voicemails. Shit, she thought. They were probably all from Serena regarding the Roy situation.

“I-- uh,” Jilliana looked up at Marc, “Sorry, Marc - I really have to go. Rain check?”

Marc took a step back with a nod. “Sure, yeah. Raincheck.”

Jilliana, thankful for a reason to back out of Marc’s offer, walked back to her lounge chair, gathered her things, and swiftly made her exit.

Jilliana didn’t look at her phone again until she was in her car. Once she was seated inside with her window rolled down and a fresh cigarette between her lips, she clicked on her missed calls. There were two from Serena and three from her mom.

“Wow,” Jilliana said under breath, “she finally did it.” Jilliana relaxed her head back and took two nice, long hits of her cigarette. I knew the day would come, she thought, I knew the day would come when Serena would rat me out.

Jilliana pulled out of the AMC parking lot and headed toward the freeway, steadily smoking her cigarette without a tinge of anger toward Serena. Instead she blasted the radio, feeling both exhilarated and free as she sped up the 405.