Our jumbojet lands, and we make our way through the airport to collect our bags, a challenging task when strange lettering covers all signs. Thankfully, Latin letter explanations are also included. The only one of us who can go without the English text is Gloria, who seems quite versed in Arabic despite claiming to be rusty. Apparently, she learned many languages in her time studying to be a language teacher, that being her second choice if Biology didn't work out.
We successfully find our bags, sparing us from having to curse our airline for losing them, and with Gloria's language skills, make it to the hotel easily with a taxi.
I didn't realize it before, but she seems to be quite the traveler, she's in her element, navigating us from A to B. Or perhaps that's just her teacher instincts, herding us like students who would go missing if her attention from us lapsed even for a moment.
"You did book us a fine hotel indeed, Jed," Gloria is the last to get out of the taxi, Jed's waiting for her with an extended hand.
"It's why you keep me around, hotel booker and food burner extraordinaire, that's me." Jed wears cool black sunglasses and a vibrant light-blue flower-printed holiday shirt. Gloria smiles and is about to take his hand.
"Oh, you're much more than that, you give yourself too little credit," Mary laughs.
"Hmph," Gloria slaps Jed's hand aside and gets up herself, her hair's loose vertical bun brushes the cab's roof as she gets out. She drops the slim, top-rimmed sunglasses onto her eyes and struts past him.
Jed's hand brushes over his short blond hair, confused at what just happened.
"Don't worry, Jed, she must just be stressed from the long flight." Mary grins, and her fingers dance over Jed's bare arm as she passes.
"Right... if you say so."
Iris and I look at each other, both of us undoubtedly experiencing a sense of deja vu, feeling like little kids watching their parents not getting along on a trip. I'd almost forgotten about the holiday both of our families made way back when to a cottage on the shore of a lake.
That was still when we used to bathe in the same bathtub and swim without swimwear. We were just kids back then, of course. I wonder if Iris remembers those days, too, when we had fun fishing, building sand castles, exploring the forest, and collecting berries. Every time we'd come back from our exploration trips, we'd find our parents shouting and fighting about a different thing each time: how the campfire was built all wrong, about the order to enter the rowboat, and who had the best food supplies with them.
Perhaps that's why me and Iris spent the whole week basically just the two of us, our kid's instincts making us avoid the troublesome parents.
I didn't realize it at the time, but that was the last joint trip our families did, only a few years later did we move out of Perennial Bloom.
I wonder if that's a part of why my parents wanted to move, apart from my father's job.
...
I hope this trip won't become a repeat of the past...
In the hotel's lobby, the five of us gather at the reception.
"Welcome to Hathor's Sunrise Hotel. Do you have a reservation?" A black-haired woman greets with a charming smile.
"Yes, three rooms, all paid in full, should be under the name Jed Garcia."
"Very good." A brief typing of the keyboard later, "That's correct, three rooms, 2 two-person rooms and 1 one-person room."
"How are we dividing the rooms?" Mary asks.
"Tsk. That's obvious, isn't it?" Gloria says without looking at her. "Me and Jed, Floret, and Iris take the two-person rooms."
"Aww, alright, it was worth a try."
"Yes, I believe that to be most prudent," Iris says in a voice like she's a world-renowned expert on the subject of room distribution. All she needed was glasses on her nose to adjust.
I jab her with my elbow, seeing through her motives.
"Ouch!"
"Very well, here are your keys. Please, have a pleasant stay." The receptionist hands the three keycards to Jed, who then hands Me and Mary ours.
As we begin our climb up the staircase of the hotel, we see the Pyramids in the distance through the large windows. The scenery couldn't be much more different from Perennial Bloom, only if we had traveled somewhere with steep mountain ranges, to shivering glaciers or the ocean depths could come close. A barren desert with ancient structures versus our lush forests and green grass as far as the eye could see.
And still, even here, it's the same sun, setting beyond the horizon, painting the sky in the familiar colors. No matter how far from home, there's always something familiar.
"Are you excited to go there tomorrow?" Gloria asks me; it sounds a bit forced.
"Yeah, sure. I love nothing more than sand and old stone structures." Though, her tone doesn't even compare to my make-believe.
"It's getting late, and I'm deathly tired. Let's discuss tomorrow's plans... tomorrow." Jed drags his feet alongside his wheeled luggage.
"Didn't you sleep most of the plane trip?" Mary wonders.
"Yeah, but still..."
"See you tomorrow," Gloria says, and we divide to find our rooms on the fifth floor.
Iris and I find our room, it's rather large, with pleasant dark-red walls and tapestries depicting ancient Egyptian gods hanging on them. There is also a TV stand with an old television, because what hotel room would be complete without one? The TV faces the lavish queen bed, which looks heavenly right about now.
Oh, right... it's a two-person room. Of course, it'd have a queen bed.
Iris dashes to the window, decorated with two silky sky-blue curtains.
"Aww... No pyramids."
Our room is on the wrong side, and we just have a street view, along with the walls and balconies of other hotels facing us.
"That's too bad. I'm sure we'll get to see enough of them tomorrow."
I roll my luggage next to the bed and throw myself onto the sheets, letting out a big sigh.
Iris follows suit, flinging onto her side of the bed.
"I didn't mention it before, but... thanks for coming to get me. It gave me the courage to stand up to my dad, to... take the leap."
"I'm glad I could help." I stare at the ceiling, the lights are too blinding to look at directly. "So... after the trip... are you going to-?"
"Let's not talk about this now... I just wanted to thank you, for that, and for asking me to come."
"Of course, why wouldn't I ask my best friend to join me?"
"Right, why wouldn't you..."
"Anyway, I'm gonna take a shower before bed." Floret gets up.
Iris sits up.
"Alone."
Iris smacks herself back on the bed.
"I think I'll shower in the morning..."
***
