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From: Lazlo Zalezac <lzalezac@yahoo.com>
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Subject: {ASSM} A Different Sort Of Lifestyle 17 (MF, rom)
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Date: Wed, 17 Jan 2007 12:10:03 -0500
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Lazlo Zalezac
http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Lazlo_Zalezac
http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Lazlo_Zalezac
 
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<1st attachment, "Life01-17.txt" begin>

A Different Sort Of Lifestyle
Chapter 17: Walking A Mile
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2006

Shading her eyes from the sun, Cindy watched the boys playing in 
the wading pool. She had already been sitting by the pool for two 
hours and was getting bored. The boys were beginning to get tired 
and would want to eat soon. In a way, the timing was good. All of 
them would have to get out of the sun soon or she would have to 
apply some more sunscreen. She decided to give them another ten 
minutes.

So far, the trip had not met her expectations. Getting through 
security at the airport had been a hassle. She had shuffled through 
the line behind businessmen who went through the actions fully 
prepared for each step. They had been irritated with her for holding 
up the line. She'd been required to take off her shoes and those of 
the boys. In a way, she had been insulted that a mother traveling 
with two kids was treated as if she were a terrorist. 

She had not remembered airplanes being so crowded or the seats 
so uncomfortable. With her extra weight, the seats were too small. 
Fortunately, she was traveling with the two boys and could move 
the arm rest out of the way. She remembered getting hot meals, but 
they had been served sandwiches that were mostly bun, a little 
turkey, wilted lettuce, and a packet of mayonnaise. It had been 
bland and even the boys hadn't been that thrilled with the meal.

The plane arrived late. They had gotten off the plane with a 
headache and feeling like they had been beaten. The boys were 
tired and irritable. She was feeling pretty bad and George's happy 
greeting fell on nearly deaf ears. It seemed to take forever for the 
luggage to arrive. That seemed strange to her. As far as she could 
tell, most of the travelers had carried their luggage with them. 

Dinner that night at the hotel had been nice although it was not the 
great treat she had expected. It wasn't that the food was bad, but it 
was just rather bland and unremarkable. The service wasn't bad, it 
was just slow. It seemed as though the waiter just assumed that 
they had nothing better to do than sit around and wait. She 
wondered if her impression was correct or just a result of the fact 
that she was tired.

While eating, she had looked around the room at the other people 
in the restaurant. Most of the clientele were men; with just two 
women in the entire place. For the most part, everyone was seated 
alone at a table looking bored and eating their meal with obvious 
disinterest. A few tables had two or more people, but they were 
talking business. All in all, the clientele looked like a pretty 
miserable group of people. 

Several times during the evening, she had looked across the table 
at George with a tired smile on her face. It was obvious that he was 
happy to see his family. She wondered how many nights he sat in a 
hotel restaurant with that same bored expression on his face as 
worn by the men around them. 

At least she couldn't complain about the beds. She had slept well 
that night, as had the boys. Of course, with the boys in the room 
there wasn't much she could do with George although they had 
spent a little time in the bathroom. Being tired, she abandoned her 
plans of rewarding him with a little action in the bathroom. She 
wasn't really in the mood to do much more than give him a hand 
job in the shower. 

In the morning, George had gotten up early and went to breakfast 
so that he would be on time for the classes he was teaching. She 
had spent the extra time getting the boys up and dressed to go 
down to eat. The worst thing of the whole morning was not having 
a cup of coffee before dealing with the boys. By the time she had 
gotten them dressed, she was ready to kill for a cup of coffee. 

The elevator trip to the main floor had taken forever. The boys had 
pushed the buttons to every floor. She didn't really mind how long 
the trip took except that the elevator was loaded with business 
men. They frowned at the boys and muttered under their breaths in 
irritation at the delay in starting their business day. Cindy wanted 
to hide, but it was obvious that she was their mother.

Breakfast had been a major disappointment. Although the 
breakfast buffet looked good, the scrambled eggs were barely 
warm, the slices of bacon were brittle little sticks, and the pastries 
were slightly stale. When she had seen the price, she was offended. 
About all she could say about breakfast was that the coffee had 
been good, although she suspected that they could have served 
dishwater and she would have liked it by then.

After breakfast, they had gone back to the room where the boys 
watched a little television on their unmade bed. She had looked out 
the window. There wasn't much to see other than buildings of 
large businesses. They weren't in Baltimore, but just outside of the 
city near a business area. There was absolutely nothing to do 
anywhere near the hotel. She was stuck in the room with two 
young boys and with nothing to do. It was a mother's worst 
nightmare.

Around ten, they had headed to the pool. She had initially felt 
embarrassed at wearing a swimsuit because of her weight, but 
realized that they were the only ones around the pool. Thinking 
about it, she realized that made sense. Everyone in the hotel was 
traveling on business and would be busy at work. She wondered if 
life around the pool would pick up after work. 

Deciding that ten minutes had passed, she called out to the boys, 
"Let's go up to the room and dress for lunch."

"Okay, mom," John said while climbing out of the wading pool.

"I'm hungry," Joe said rubbing his belly. It took him a little longer 
to get out of the pool.

"Me, too," Cindy said smiling at the youngest boy. She had 
expected them to argue, but they must have been hungrier than she 
had thought. She spent a few minutes toweling them dry. 

Gathering their towels and stuff together, the three of them headed 
to the room. Upon entering the hotel, the boys raced ahead to see 
which one could reach the elevator first and, hence, have the honor 
of pushing the button. John easily outran Joe. The little guy arrived 
well after John had pushed the button. 

The trip up the elevator was just as long as the trip down had been. 
The boys made sure they pushed the buttons for every floor. Each 
time the elevator stopped, Cindy had to hold them both back. At 
least this time, they were the only ones on the elevator.

Entering the room, Cindy was pleased to see that the beds were 
made. The boys wiggled out of their swimsuits and stood waiting 
for her to help them dress. She rummaged through the luggage and 
found outfits for the boys. It took her ten minutes to get them 
dressed. When she turned around, she saw that they had unmade 
one of the beds. She sighed at the sight.

She dressed in the bathroom hearing the sounds of the television 
blaring from the room. As much as it hurt to admit it, living in a 
hotel wasn't all that comfortable. There wasn't sufficient room to 
move around. Four people filled the room to capacity and the boys 
took up a lot more room than the size of their bodies would 
suggest. 

Dressed and ready for lunch, she left the bathroom. She took a 
moment to look at the room. The clothes from the luggage were 
strewn around the bags. The boys had brought a couple of toys and 
they were scattered around on the floor. The one bed was unmade. 
There were only two chairs around a small table and a desk against 
the wall. She frowned at the thought that she hadn't had a chance 
to enjoy the benefits of maid service. Clapping her hands, she said, 
"Let's go eat, boys."

The two boys bounced off the bed and ran to the doorway. The 
short break had restored their energy and they were ready to move 
again. She walked down the hallway while they raced to the 
elevator. There was a little pushing and shoving while the boys 
fought over who would push the button. John managed to push the 
down button, but Joe countered by pushing the up button. By the 
time she reached the elevator, the boys were satisfied with their 
individual contribution to calling the elevator.

The first elevator to arrive was headed up and she had to hold the 
boys back. It was another minute before the elevator returned. 
Getting on, the boys immediately pushed the buttons for all of the 
floors. Cindy looked apologetically at the two men in the elevator 
with her. They looked irritated, but also as if they understood. 

At lunch, the boys ordered hamburgers hoping to get a fast food 
burger. Cindy had ordered a salad continuing her diet. All three of 
them were disappointed in their selections. The massive burgers 
were nothing like what the boys had expected. The French Fries 
just didn't taste right. Cindy's salad was smothered in fattening 
salad dressing. They ate what they could, but weren't very happy 
about their lunch.

Once lunch was over, Cindy sat at the table wondering what she 
could do with the boys. Her thoughts were interrupted when 
George stopped by the table and said, "Hello. Enjoying your 
morning?"

Excited by everything they had done that morning, John answered, 
"We went swimming. It was great."

Smiling at her husband, Cindy said, "It was a nice quiet morning."

"What are your plans for the afternoon?"

Cindy shrugged her shoulders and answered, "I don't know. Do 
you have any suggestions?"

"Not really. There's not too much to do around here. You might 
consider taking the rental car into town," he answered. For the first 
four days here, he had tried to find something for them to do while 
here. There just wasn't that much for them to do. Any sightseeing 
would require that they go into Baltimore and that was a real 
hassle. 

"I'm sure that we'll figure out something," Cindy said. She 
decided that she'd ask the people at the check-in counter. They 
were from around here and could probably recommend a ton of 
things to do. After lunch, the boys would probably want to take a 
short nap.

"Great. I better get back to work," George said. Friday afternoons 
were always the worst day. Everyone was tired of class and would 
be looking forward to the weekend. He knew that half of them 
would want to leave a little early. He usually ended class early on 
Fridays. He added, "I should be done about four."

"Great," she answered. Glancing down at her watch, she realized 
that she only needed to fill three hours. Taking into account a half 
hour nap, that would mean two and a half hours. That wasn't really 
enough time to get into Baltimore.

"I'll see you later," George said while turning away.

"Yes, I'll see you later," Cindy said. She looked at the boys and 
asked, "Would you like to go out and play a little?"

"You bet," said the boys together. They were up and out of their 
seats before the words were out of their mouths. 

"Boys, come back here. I have to pay," Cindy said. The waiter 
noticed the commotion and came over with the bill. She added a 
tip, wrote down the room number, and signed it despite having the 
cash to pay it. There was no way that she was going to be able to 
hold the boys back long enough to wait for the change.

As soon as she stood, the boys headed towards the door. Following 
the boys out of the hotel, Cindy looked around. There was a small 
area of grass over to the side of the hotel. It wasn't much, but it 
was better than allowing them to play in the parking lot. Pointing 
to patch of grass, she said, "Let's go over there."

The boys ran and she walked. It dawned on her that this was a 
hotel that specialized in business travelers. They had nothing for 
kids. She had looked for a video game room and had been 
surprised to learn that this particular hotel didn't have one. They 
did have a workout room, but the sign posted said that children 
under twelve weren't allowed. She looked around the parking lot 
wondering what they would do for the rest of the day.

She watched the kids run around the small area of grass. The boys 
were playing a quick game of tag. John, the older brother, allowed 
his little brother to tag him on occasion. She sighed and said, "At 
least they play together well."

---

George entered the room to find the boys taking a nap and Cindy 
staring at the wall. She slowly turned her head to look at him and 
said, "The boys just started their nap. They'll be out for about an 
hour since they were really tired. They played outside for a while 
and then went back to the pool."

"How was your day?"

Although she was tired from chasing the boys around all day, 
Cindy was bored. She shrugged and said, "It was a little boring. 
There really is nothing to do around here."

"I'm sorry about that. I have to stay here when I'm in Baltimore. 
This is the hotel that we have a contract with to host the training 
sessions," George said.

"It's not your fault," she said. She had given up on trying to 
occupy the boys around the hotel and had asked at the front desk 
for directions to the nearest park. She couldn't believe that none of 
the people who worked in the hotel knew where a simple 
playground was located. After driving around the area for a half 
hour, they hadn't found anything that resembled a park. They 
ended up eating burgers at a fast food place that had a children's 
playroom. All of them agreed that it was a much better meal than 
what they had gotten at the hotel.

"We'll go out to eat tonight. There's a crab house not too far from 
here. I hope that the boys will enjoy it," George said.

"They'll enjoy it," Cindy said getting excited about getting away 
from the hotel. A yawn reminded her how tired she was. Frowning, 
she asked, "Are you up to a quick nap?"

"Sure," George said while removing his coat. Smiling at Cindy, he 
stripped down to his boxers. He settled onto the bed and waited for 
her to curl up beside him. When she took off her shirt and pants, he 
noticed that she had lost a little weight. 

"This is nice," Cindy said as she lay on the bed next to him. They 
were both asleep in five minutes.

Saturday was spent at a ballgame. George had enjoyed the game 
tremendously. He had taken time to explain the game to the boys 
knowing that Joe wouldn't remember much of it. Even after his 
explanations, the boys weren't too clear on the rules. They stood 
and cheered when the people around them cheered. More than 
anything, they appreciated the peanuts, hot dogs, and cokes.

Cindy had enjoyed the game; not because she particularly enjoyed 
baseball, but it was such a different activity from what she 
normally did. There were people all around her. There was noise 
that wasn't a television blaring out artificial voices of cartoon 
characters. She felt like an adult participating in a real world event. 

Sunday was spent at the aquarium. The entire experience had left 
the family awe-struck. George had heard that it was a nice place to 
visit, but calling it that was an understatement. It was phenomenal 
and he swore that he would come back every time he had to visit 
Baltimore. 

Walking the darkened passages lined with lit fish tanks gave the 
area a tranquil atmosphere. The most impressive part of the entire 
visit was the shark tank. With expressions of wonder on their 
faces, the boys watched the sharks swim around the huge tank. 
Even Cindy was speechless at the sight of the sharks. None of 
them wanted to leave the aquarium and they stayed until it closed. 

Monday morning, George pulled into the rental place and unloaded 
the bags. While he removed the bags, a man using a handheld 
device scanned in the information on the car and printed up a 
receipt. Cindy and the boys watched amazed at the speed with 
which the entire process of returning the car had been performed. 
The time saved was deceptive since they had to wait ten minutes 
for the shuttle bus to pick them up and take them to the terminal. 

Getting off the shuttle, George carried the luggage through the 
airport to the check-in counter. The line was long and he pushed 
the pile of luggage beside him as the line in front shrank. The boys 
were bored by standing in line so Cindy took them for a walk 
around the airport. 

While she had found airports prior to this trip to Baltimore 
exciting, she discovered that airports weren't really all that great. It 
seemed as if everyone in the airport moved with an attitude of 
weariness that was contagious. Even the boys seemed infected by 
the environment and turned cranky.

Cindy was reminded of a visit to a bus station and the weary 
people that she had seen there. It made her wonder when air travel 
had changed from an adventure to a drag. She wondered how it 
was that George managed to put up with traveling week after 
week. 

They made their way back to the ticket counter in time for George 
to join them. He seemed in much better spirits than her or the kids. 
He said, "That wasn't too bad. The line moved pretty fast 
considering that tomorrow is the first business day of the week."

"Do you mean that it is usually worse than this?"

"Sunday and Friday nights are pretty bad. That's why I usually fly 
on Saturdays. Of course, you usually get a lot more tourists on the 
weekends. That means you have to wait longer getting through 
security since people aren't prepared for it," he answered with a 
negligent shrug of his shoulders.

"Prepared for it?"

Leading his family to the line of men waiting to get through the 
security stations, he answered, "When we get there, remove 
everything and put it into your purse. You'll run your purse 
through the x-ray machine in a plastic bin along with your shoes."

Cindy watched as he emptied his pockets, removed his belt and 
watch, and put everything into his carry-on bag. She did as he 
suggested. When they reached the machines, he slipped off his 
shoes and put them in the bin along with his carry-on bag. She 
filled a second bin while he pulled the shoes off the kids. 

The family walked through the security gate without setting off the 
alarm. They gathered their bins and moved out of the way to 
redress. The boys found the experience of walking around without 
shoes exciting and raced ahead to slide to a stop in their stockings. 
Cindy was finding it tiresome to deal with the kids and the airport. 

They were early enough that they could have a bite to eat at the 
airport. George said, "We probably ought to get something to eat 
now rather than eat on the plane. This time of day, all we'll get is a 
snack and it will be pretty bad."

"Isn't the food kind of expensive in an airport?"

"Yes, but at least you won't have an upset stomach when we get 
home," George answered. 

The meal in the airport wasn't that great despite how much it cost. 
The boys had shared an order of Nachos and were reasonably 
happy with the choice. Cindy and George each had a French Dip 
sandwich. Cindy had never had one that sat so heavy in her 
stomach. 

They paid and headed towards the gate. Since they were traveling 
with young children they were able to board early. George actually 
appreciated not having to wait until his row was called for 
boarding. Cindy wasn't that impressed and found boarding with 
the children was a major hassle. Frustrated, she turned to George 
and said, "Would you mind riding with the kids?"

"No problem," he answered. The thought of having a little extra 
room in the seat was much too tempting to refuse. Still, he asked, 
"Are you sure?"

"Very sure," she answered.

Two hours into the flight, Cindy had enough of being sandwiched 
between two rather large men. She looked over at George with 
envy. He was turned sideways in his seat and playing rocks-
scissors-paper with the boys. At least the boys, being properly 
entertained, weren't making enough noise to disturb the other 
passengers.

Miserable, Cindy held on until they arrived at their destination. She 
left the plane with a cramp in her leg and a splitting headache. She 
wandered off the plane leaving George to take care of the boys. All 
she wanted to do was get home and lie down. Much to her chagrin, 
it was another hour and a half before they reached the house. 
Seeing it, she mumbled, "Home sweet home."
<1st attachment end>


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