The Dalmacia Hotel

An excerpt of my 12th book "On both sides of the abyss".

Three days after he was dismissed from his post by the ambassador Kenneth Collins the ex press attaché was ready to leave. On Thursday morning five hours before his flight home, he went to the embassy to ask the administration manager to cover his expenses for the shipment of his personal effects to New York, pick his flight ticket to New York with a stop at London Heathrow airport, and he sent a telegram directed to a Miss A. in room 21 at the Dalmacia Hotel in London, with just six words: "I'm coming to pick you up." He knew well enough that every step of his is under supervision by the Lebanese internal security service. But that was what he exactly wished them to know.

At eleven forty five am he was at the airport ready to board his plane, after having finished all the needed arrangement. He had a snack and a pint of lager beer, and passed his time in the duty free shop, He bought a precious perfume for Amina, and a bottle of whiskey for Jeff. One more rather important thing was buying a copy of U.S. Today paper to pass the time up to boarding the plane, and while flying for the only papers that he would get at the first class of the British flight company would be British papers.

At six twenty five B.O.A.C 728 flight from Beirut landed at London's Heathrow airport, and at seven fifteen Ken met Jeff Foresight the press attaché of the American embassy in London waiting for him near the luggage carousel.

He picked his suitcase and Jeff led the way to his parked car.

'Where're we bound Ken?' His colleague asked him. He would have preferred to drive his friend straight to his home, but he knew that Ken must have another errand except spending the night in his abode.

'The Dalmacia Hotel for just a short stop Jeff, about two minutes time.'

'What will they think if they'll track you and learn that you left your loved one in a three star hotel?'

'They'll realize that while being away from Beirut I'm thrifty and I don't spend needlessly the tax payer money. That's exactly what they've to know about my relations with our Amina or Nour as that's her current name now.'

'Can't you give up that futile show off?'

'You sound like a Brit Jeff, and no I've to do it.'

'Well I'm almost four years in London,' Jeff answered him laughing as he slowed down and parked the car beside the entrance to The Dalmacia Hotel. 'I'll wait behind the next corner.' He told Ken as the latter got off.

Ken crossed the entrance and reached the small hall and the reception counter with its only clerk on duty.

'I'd like to phone room twenty one.' He told the clerk.

'Room twenty one is unoccupied sir.'

'Oh goodness me, are you sure?'

'Yes sir I'm sure it's been evacuated the day before yesterday.'

'I see I wouldn't have believed it,' Ken muttered with a sour face, feigning disappointment and sorrow, and without another a word he left the Hotel.

'You did it fast,' Jeff remarked pleased to see Ken so quickly back.

'Yes I was sure I'll have to chat with some stranger and find out that the one I've been  expecting vanished, and  I leave with a long face, but the room I wished to phone to was unoccupied… He added laughing hilariously.

'Okay what are we supposed to do tomorrow?' Jeff asked on their way to his home.

'We'll drive to the airport rather early at five am, and you'll take my passport and ticket and change my destination from New York to Ankara. But do it stealthily with B.O.A.C's security officer at the airport.

'You'll have to pay a fine of two hundred and fifty dollars Ken.'

'No problem at all Jeff it’s on the project's budget.'

© Haim Kadman October 2013 �" all rights reserved.