The Foreigner Ch. 03

My world had just been shaken by the photograph that Kat had sent. When I returned to the inn, I definitely needed to speak with her. Tonight I'll enjoy a quiet dinner in my hotel room and maybe watch a TV show. I need to think about where my next stop is. When I left LA I really had no plan other than to head for Chicago. The knock on my door and the words "room service" were expected. The person I saw when I opened the door was not. Kelly stood there with a suitcase by her side.

"Hello, Frank."

"What are you doing here?"

"Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"I'm not sure that would be a good idea."

"I really need to talk to you Frank or should I call you Bob?"

I held the door open as Kelly entered. Once inside she turned to me and said, "I'm not here to cause trouble. My boyfriend and I broke up after having a huge argument and my flight back home doesn't leave until tomorrow. Can I stay here til then?"

I started to worry. If this woman could find me so easily and discover my other name in less than eight hours, then I definitely wasn't safe from the police. I had to leave Las Vegas as soon as possible.

"Before I answer, I want to know why you searched for me and how you found me."

"I'll tell you but first I need to sit down. I did a lot of walking today with the wrong type of shoes and my feet are killing me."

I pointed to the small couch in my hotel room and she sat down. She slowly removed her shoes and rubbed each foot. Then she looked at me with a puzzled expression. "Is your name really Frank?"

"For reasons I can't talk about, I had to check into the hotel and take the tour under another name. My name really is Frank. What I can tell you is that I'm not a married man using a fake name to screw around, if that's what you thought. Think back. If anything, I tried to push you away during the tour."

At that point I handed her a drivers license that I had made with my new name. It was a good counterfeit but it wouldn't pass a close inspection. Seeing the name Frank Williams, she started crying. I sat down next to her, reached over and held her until she was able to compose herself. With teary eyes, Kelly looked at me and said, "You asked why I searched for you? I thought I made that obvious on the bus, and you don't have to tell me it's crazy, I already know that. We just met today. I guess I didn't hide those feelings very well when the tour bus returned to the hotel because my now ex-boyfriend immediately knew something was wrong. It's what we argued about. Before I continue, is there any water in this room? I'm suddenly very thirsty."

I walked over to the mini fridge in the room and took out a bottle. One good thing about this hotel is that the mini fridge keeps everything ice-cold. After drinking half of it, she continued.

"It wasn't easy finding you. I didn't know your last name and even if I did, I knew the people at the front desk wouldn't help me. Luckily I found a sympathetic woman when I phoned the tour company. I raved about what a fantastic tour it was, basically giving it a five-star review. Then I told the woman the reason for the call. I said that I met this great guy on the tour today but we never exchanged phone numbers. I hoped she could help me find him since I really wanted to see him again. She agreed to try as long as I never told anyone how I found him. After pulling up the tour information on her computer, she asked what I knew about the guy. I told her he was the only person on the bus who didn't book the tour through my UFO club and his name was Frank. After a pause she said there was one guy that almost fit my description but there was a problem. She said she was so sorry, but his name wasn't Frank, it was Bob Sanders. Hearing that, I hung up. I thought of all the bad reasons for using a fake name."

I could tell that reliving the story was very emotional for Kelly so I asked if she wanted to take a break. She nodded her head and I changed the subject. I asked about her UFO club. Her eyes seemed to light up at that topic. Her whole attitude changed. She was a hardcore believer in aliens and UFOs, At home she had dozens of books on the subjects. She could tell you about every character in every Star Trek episode and Star Wars movie but what she enjoyed most was making her own costumes and dressing up for conventions.

It wasn't long before she was comfortable enough to say what happened after the phone call.

"Maybe I was trying to fool myself but I didn't want to believe any of those reasons. I told myself that maybe you were in the witness protection program or Bob Sanders was the name of a friend who gave you his ticket. Whether this was going to end well or not, I made the decision to find Bob Sanders and find out for sure. I didn't have the time or money for a private investigator so I needed another plan. I eventually decided my best shot was to find a young parking attendant with flexible morals and raging hormones. It took a while but I found one. I told him I thought my boyfriend, Bob Sanders, was cheating on me in this hotel and, if he was, I wanted to confront the bastard. In exchange for his room number I was prepared to offer a night of revenge sex. I was very graphic and apparently very convincing. It took him only fifteen minutes to bring it to me. For my final bit of acting I gave him a long kiss and, holding up the paper with the room number on it, I said "This won't take long." Then I pulled him a little closer and, in my most seductive voice, I whispered in his ear "My room number is 612, and I don't like to be kept waiting." Right now the poor guy is probably banging on the door of that elderly couple from our club."

When I was finally able to stop laughing, I said "Sorry for the interrogation but I had to know. You're welcome to stay. You really are a bad girl, you know that Kelly?"

In a little girl voice Kelly responded, "Should I be punished for that, Frank?"

"If my situation was different, I'd definitely give you a spanking, followed by everything else you promised that parking attendant."

In my fantasy world, I'd make up for the last six years of celibacy with a night worthy of a porn movie but I knew it was impossible. However small, the risk of pregnancy put in danger the lives of everyone from my planet living on Earth. Blood tests taken during any physical examination of the child would result in a worldwide panic and an immediate search for others.

My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door and someone again saying "room service." This time I looked through the peephole in the door before opening it. After all, it might have been that parking attendant.

"Kelly, have you eaten? I can call room service with another order."

"I'd like that. Order a chicken sandwich, a salad and a small bottle of wine for each of us. While we"re waiting for it, I'm going to take a quick shower."

I made the call and Kelly grabbed some clothes from her suitcase before entering the bathroom. When she returned, she was wearing a sheer lace robe that didn't hide anything. The shock on my face was obvious.

"You're staring, Frank. Haven't you ever seen a robe before?" With a wicked smile she continued, "but if it makes you feel uncomfortable I can always take it off."

"You enjoy teasing me like this, don't you?"

"I do and I'll shamelessly try anything to change your mind about us."

"Just promise me you'll wait in the bathroom when the food arrives."

"Spoilsport."

After Kelly's order was delivered, we quietly enjoyed the meal although my mind and my eyes kept wandering.

"What time is your flight tomorrow?"

"Around 10:00 am."

"You'll have to be at the airport early. That means I have to control myself for eight more hours. I hope the hotel has enough cold water for my showers."

"But if you want the same thing that I want, why are you fighting it?"

"A night of sex with you might be the best thing that's ever happened to me but it could also be catastrophic and, before you say anything, I'm not being overly dramatic. You'll just have to take my word for that. I keep telling you, my life's very complicated."

"Can we at least cuddle in bed on our last night together?

"Okay, but if it gets too intense I might have to use up some of our cold water."

I could see Kelly pout, take a deep breath and let out a long, deep sigh before replying, "Come to bed, Frank."

The next morning I checked out of the hotel and took Kelly to the airport. At the terminal, we shared one last hug and she was gone. In about eight hours she'd be home.

I made sure to fill up my gas tank before I left Vegas. The last thing I needed was to get stuck in the middle of nowhere. It was still early but I wanted to put some distance between me and the hotel. The trip to the inn would take two and a half hours if I drove without stopping so I had time for breakfast if I found a place along the way. I planned to get to the Little A'Le'Inn at about 11:30 am.

In a town called Moapa about an hour north of the airport on route 93 I found a little bar and grill. It was exactly what I was looking for; a quiet place with good food and friendly service where I felt safe. That stop also gave me time to think about what I would say to Kat.

When I finally arrived at the inn, I sat far from other customers. Kat came to my table and acted as if I was an ordinary customer.

"Can I get you something to eat or drink?"

"Just a cup of coffee."

In a low voice I added, "When is your break? I really need to talk to you privately."

"If it's not too busy, I'll ask for a ten-minute break after you speak with the owners."

"Okay, I'll be outside in a silver Honda Civic."

It wasn't long before Kat returned with my coffee and two other people. One was a tall man in a plaid shirt, jeans and a cowboy hat. He looked to be in his fifties. The other was a middle-aged woman in a sun dress. Both wore boots. I stood up to greet them as Kat went back to work.

The cowboy spoke first. "Name's Cole and this is my wife Mary. Kat says you have a particular interest in some of our items."

"My name's Frank and yes, I'm interested if we can agree on a price."

The cowboy continued, "Mary and I walk around the desert hoping to find things of interest to add to the usual tourist merchandise. Which things caught your eye, Frank?"

"There are two things actually." I walked to one of the walls and brought the rock I wanted back to the table. As I handed it to Cole I said, "I collect rocks and I thought this would be a nice addition."

"I remember the day I picked this off the ground. It caught my eye too. I don't think selling it will be a problem. The desert is probably full of rocks like this one. How does fifty dollars sound?"

"Very fair. We have a deal."

"Now, what was the other thing you wanted?"

I walked over to another shelf and picked up the metal fragment I was interested in.

When I handed it to Cole he hesitated.

"Well, this is a totally different case. I've never seen anything quite like it and I'm not really sure I'm ready to let it go."

"I understand, but if you were to sell it do you have any idea what price you might put on it?"

"Give me a second to discuss it with Mary."

I was nervous as I watched the two of them walk to the far end of the room to discuss it. Cole did most of the talking but I think Mary made the final decision. When they returned Cole said, "Mary and I both think it might be something special, I really like it but if you're willing to pay a thousand dollars, it's yours."

"Whoa, I knew it might be expensive but a thousand dollars is more than I planned for. I brought eight hundred dollars cash with me today and if I can buy both objects for that amount we have a deal. If not, I guess I'll have to walk away with just the rock."

Cole turned to Mary and I saw her nod her head.

"I guess we have a deal, Frank."

"It's been a pleasure meeting the two of you. If you find anything else in the desert that's interesting, show it to Kat and she'll send me a picture. She has my number. Maybe we can do more business in the future."

I took my new possessions to the car and waited for Kat. I could have paid the thousand dollars since I still have most of the money I withdrew from the bank but I don't know how long that money has to last before I find a job. I took a chance and offered less.

In my rearview mirror I could see Kat walking to the car so I opened the front door on the passenger side to let her get in. As the door closed, I turned to her. "I'm not sure where to start. After the shock of seeing that picture you sent me wore off, I realized that meeting you was a miracle. I'm in trouble and you're the only one I know that I can ask for help. Is there any place where we can talk after you get off from work?"

"The only private place I can think of is my home. It's in Alamo, about forty-five minutes away. Wait here. I'll be right back."

Kat opened the car door and walked back to the inn. Two minutes later she was back. "We'll have to trust each other to survive on this planet. Here are my house keys. My address is on the tag attached to the keyring. Park near the house. Nobody will bother your car. We'll be able to talk when I get home at about 6:00 pm. Don't worry. Whatever your trouble is, we'll deal with it."

As Kat walked back to the inn again, I put her address into my phone's map program and less than an hour later I arrived at her house. Now all I could do was wait.