The search for shelter
Last Time: To say Kari's excited about going up to the Akakura Mountain Lodge would be an understatement, especially with new skis. Meanwhile, Davis pulled just about every trick up his sleeve so he could be cleared to follow her.
Break A Leg: Part 2
The car continued on its way and was getting closer to its destination. The Kamiyas were on the road while TK Takaishi and his mom were in a car in front of them and Matt Ishida and his dad were in the car behind them. They were all heading for the same place.
Night was starting fall and time was taking a toll on Kari. Despite the car hitting several bumps in the road, she was still falling asleep fast. And there was no one to keep her awake. Gatomon had gone back to the Digital World after a week-long visit and Tai couldn't be bothered to keep his little sister awake.
"Kari, wake up. We're here."
Kari opened her eyes and looked out the car window. She saw the snow falling and lamp posts lit. And then she saw the lodge. It was humongous and it had to hold a lot of people. Kari marveled at its size, but more than that she was just happy to be there. She was finally at the Akakura Mountain Lodge.
Then Kari thought about her skis. She couldn't wait to start skiing with TK. It would be a lot of fun and there was no one she'd rather vacation with than TK. Of course, she did think about the friends she was leaving down in Odaiba. She thought about Cody, Yolei, Ken, and Davis. She wished they be could be there with her, but in a way she was glad they weren't there.
It had been a while since Kari spent some quality time with TK and she wanted to make up for it.
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Usually on such long trips, Davis would fall asleep. But there would be no falling asleep lest he fall off the moving Raidramon. Through sleet and snow, the big four-legged Raidramon persevered as Davis pointed him in the right direction. If it was the last thing he did, he'd be at the lodge before the sun came up.
Things got a lot slower when Raidramon started moving up the mountain. The snow seemed to be blowing harder and everything was getting colder. But Raidramon continued on undaunted. Davis felt lucky to have such a devoted and loyal Digimon.
Finally, Raidramon climbed over and Davis could see a series of lamp posts lighting up the iced pavement. He made it. Davis made it to the Akakura Mountain Lodge.
Davis grabbed his suitcase and jumped off while Raidramon Digivolved back into Veemon. Immediately, Veemon started shivering. He didn't exactly have any clothes to put over that blue skin of his. So Davis selflessly took his coat off and put it on Veemon.
"T-T-Thanks Davis," Veemon stuttered.
"No problem, buddy. Well, there it is. That's the lodge."
"So should we just walk in?"
"Veemon, we'd have to have a reservation to stay there."
"Then where are we staying, Davis?"
Davis froze in his tracks. He had done some dumb things before, but this was by far the dumbest. He was standing out in the snow in the middle of the mountains, with no one having any idea he was out there, and he honestly had no idea where he was going to sleep. He and Veemon had no shelter for the night.
"I…never thought of that," Davis gulped.
Veemon did a double take and his eyes nearly popped out. "WHAT?! You can't be serious! We have nowhere to go?! It's FREEZING out here!"
Davis almost fell over from the tremendous cold. "I know, I know. But what else can we do?"
"Maybe there's a place to sleep behind the lodge?" Veemon tried suggesting.
"It's better than any idea I have right now," Davis concurred.
"Of all the times for the well to run dry; You ALWAYS have an idea, Davis."
"I know," Davis said again. "I can feel it. I'll think of something."
Davis desperately tried to get the gears turning in his head again. Nothing was coming to him, though. He had no ideas. He and Veemon struggled to reach the lodge. They got to the front and were about to turn the corner, when Davis stopped.
There was a sign on the front window. But it was more than just a sign. It was Davis' saving grace. The sign said the lodge was looking for a bellboy.
"I've got an idea!" Davis said happily.
"Is it better than your last idea?" Veemon asked.
"It's a GREAT idea!" Davis said triumphantly. "Stay here. I'll be right back."
Davis left Veemon outside. The blue Digimon would be just fine since he was wearing Davis' coat. The goggle boy felt like his skin was about to turn blue, so he was more than happy to go indoors. Without any more delay, Davis walked into the front doors of the lodge.
He was in awe of how big the front lobby was. There was an enormous couch in the center, at least three fireplaces, and the biggest buffet table Davis had ever seen. The lodge looked very luxurious. Kari and TK were lucky to be staying here.
"Can I help you?"
Davis turned around to see an old balding man in a suit. "Oh…hi there."
"Is there something I can help you with?" the man asked again.
"Yeah…I saw you're 'Help Wanted' sign on the window. I see you need a bellboy."
"You look pretty scrawny to be a bellboy," the man scoffed.
"Scrawny?" Davis repeated. "I'm a soccer player! I am NOT scrawny! Um…anyway…if you're looking for a bellboy, you need look no further! I'm your man!"
The man looked skeptical. "You? Why would I want to hire someone like you? What makes you different from everyone else?"
"Because I can do a better job than anyone else," Davis answered. "And I'll do it for free!"
The man's looked at Davis in shock. "F-F-Free? You'll work for free?"
"All I ask is for some shelter for the next week," Davis continued. "And you'll get the best bellboy you've ever had! I can't even begin to tell you how great I am!" If nothing else, Davis always knew how to toot his own horn.
"Shelter, eh? What about your parents, kid?"
Davis did some quick thinking before going on. "My parents…traveled to the United States and accidentally left me home alone. We've got a big family, you know. I'm sure they'll come back next week, but you know how customs are these days…especially in the U.S."
It sounded like a plausible explanation. It was the old 'Home Alone' story and it was the best story Davis had.
The man blinked. "That…sounds pretty weird. We live in an age of cell phones. You'd think your parents would have called by now."
Davis gulped. He suddenly remembered that cell phones weren't common when the 'Home Alone' excuse was first used. "Yeah…but they don't have a cell phone. Gives you cancer, you know." Davis could literally feel his argument dying by the second.
The man finally shrugged. "Look, it's none of my business anyway. So I'm willing to look the other way, especially since you're so willing to work for free. I just happen to have one room open. A couple of reservations cancelled last second, so you lucked out. I can give you a room for the next week until your parents come back. Consider yourself hired, Mr.…"
"Motomiya. Davis Motomiya."
"Consider yourself hired, Mr. Motomiya. I am Blaine. But you can call me MR. Blaine."
Davis shook the man's hand. "Thank you so much, Mr. Blaine. So when do I start?"
"You'll work whichever shift you're needed for," Mr. Blaine answered. "Be up tomorrow at 7 to help our guests check in." Mr. Blaine walked over towards a bag and pulled out a fresh bellboy uniform for Davis. Davis took the bag containing his red bellboy uniform and sweatdropped. "Try these on and let's see how they fit. You can change in that broom closet over there."
Davis took his uniform and walked over to the broom closet. He walked in, opened the bag, and immediately noticed the bellboy hat. He didn't like the bellboy hat. That meant he couldn't wear Tai's goggles. Davis was about to take his shirt off when he heard something from behind the door.
"Welcome to the Akakura Mountain Lodge. Are you checking in?"
"Yes. The name is Kamiya."
Davis turned white. It was Kari's family and they had to be there with TK's family, too. This was the worst possible time for them to show up. If they were Davis' first assignment, it would all be over right there.
"Ah, we have your reservation Mrs. Kamiya. That's two rooms. Now I'm afraid we have no bellboys available at the moment, so I shall escort you all up to your rooms personally. We should have a bellboy available tomorrow."
"Oh, thank you so much."
Davis breathed a deep sigh of relief. He had dodged a bullet. Sensing that the two families were being taken to their rooms, Davis kept changing into his new uniform. He had put the whole red uniform on, with exception of the bellboy hat. He tried to think about how to put the hat on AND keep his goggles on. Then he got an idea. He wore his goggles in front of him, like a necklace, and put the hat on top of his head.
"I'm still me," Davis said softly to himself.
Feeling proud of himself, Davis was about to walk out of the broom closet. But when he opened the door halfway, he quickly shut it again at the sight he saw.
"Have you ever seen so much food, TK?"
"It sure is a lot, Kari. I just wish I hadn't eaten before I came. Especially since this looks so much better than the sandwiches Matt made."
Davis was sweating. Kari and TK were the only ones out there and they were looking at the buffet table. But Davis couldn't help but keep the door open a crack. He needed to make sure TK wasn't making any moves on his girl. But they only looked to be drooling over the food.
"Kari! TK!" Mrs. Kamiya called out. "Come on up! You can eat later!"
Kari and TK took one more look back at the buffet table before walking up the lodge's stairs. The coast was finally clear and Davis walked out of the broom closet. He breathed a huge sigh of relief.
"Mr. Motomiya?"
"AAH!"
Davis was obviously still edgy, because he jumped upon the sudden call. But he turned around and saw it was only Mr. Blaine. At least it wasn't Kari. The last thing Davis wanted was for Kari to know he was there.
"Ah, I see the uniform fits you like a glove," Mr. Blaine said. "That's wonderful. You can start tomorrow morning. Now let me show you to your room."
Davis grabbed his clothes and followed Mr. Blaine towards a small room right next to the front desk. The good thing was that it was downstairs, while Kari's room was upstairs. But the bad thing was that it still didn't mean Davis could avoid accidentally running into her.
Mr. Blaine opened the door and showed the beautiful room to Davis. There was a queen-size bed, a plush carpet, a twenty-inch TV, mini-fridge, red curtains, and a mushroom-shaped lamp. Davis walked into the bathroom and saw the complimentary towels, the clean faucets and toilets, the red shower curtains, and smelled the fresh aroma of bathroom soap.
Davis' face brightened. "Wow! This is so great!"
"I'm glad you like it. But you'd better get some sleep. You've got a long day ahead of you. Tomorrow's the day when a lot of our guests check in."
Mr. Blaine left Davis in the room and walked out. Davis was so overtaken by the beauty of his room…he nearly forgot something very important. He gasped and ran over to the window. He quickly threw the curtains open and opened the window. Davis looked out towards his right.
"VEEMON!"
Davis' Digimon partner heard the call and he came walking up to the window. Davis picked Veemon up and lifted him into the room.
"It's freezing out there, Davis. I think I may have turned blue."
"Veemon, you're already blue."
"Oh good…I thought I had caught pneumonia."
Davis suddenly sneezed. "No…but I might have. Can I have my coat back?"
"Ok. Hey, what are you wearing, Davis?"
Davis sweatdropped. He was still decked out in his bellboy uniform, something he would be wearing a lot for the next few days.
"It's a long story," Davis sighed.
Next Time: Thus it begins. How does Davis' first day as a bellboy go? And how does he balance work AND watching Kari and TK? Any comments? Then mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below.
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