Confessions of a Hostie by Danielle Hugh

diplomatic.
    â€˜I am so tired. You’ve worn me out! Why don’t you watch it in your room? It is OK. There is no need to feel obligated to stay. We can catch up in the morning.’
    I don’t need to tell him twice as he is out of my bed before I have finished speaking. He at least has the decency to kiss me goodbye.
    The next morning, I wait for him to call me. He doesn’t call. I am now caught in the horrible dilemma of ‘Should I call?’ or ‘Should I wait?’.
    I want to call him, but then don’t want him to see me as desperate or needy.
    I can’t remember who said who was going to call whom last night. All I can remember is we said we would see each other in the morning. It is almost midday. We go to work tonight, so maybe he is sleeping late?
    The hotel gives us an automatic wake-up call before checking out. Ironically, the cabin crew are called an hour before we need to leave the hotel while the tech-crew only get 45 minutes notice. The company has made the automatic realisation that pilots don’t need as much time to get ready as us hosties.
    For Brad, ten minutes would be enough to get dressed and ready. He could use the extra thirty-five minutes to watch car racing.
    It is a long sector tonight, so most crew will try and get a few hours sleep prior. As for Brad’s routine, who knows?
    What if he is thinking the same thing as I am, I suddenly wonder. Maybe he is expecting a call from me? Should I leave a note under his door? Should I leave a message for him on the phone?
    Most hotels let you leave someone a voice message without having their phone ringing. The message light flashes, and the guest can then retrieve their messages when they are awake.
    Yes, that’s what I’ll do. I’ll leave a voice message.
    I choose my words carefully: ‘Hi Brad, it’s Danielle. I am not sure if we are catching up today. It is around midday and I should be in my room until about two. Call me if you can. Otherwise I will see you at sign-on.’
    This is so awkward. I hate that I am at Brad’s beck and call. I hate that he is the one with all the control. I hate this early stage of a relationship.
    Relationship? What relationship? We’ve slept together twice – that’s not a relationship.
    I remember having a few drinks with some of my girlfriends and discussing our two favourite subjects apart from shopping: guys and relationships. It was pointed out that a guy will sleep with you the first time out of curiosity. If he sleeps with you again it is because he likes you. If he comes back for a third time that is a relationship.
    The phone rings.
    â€˜Hello, this is Danielle,’ I say in my sexiest voice.
    It is Brad. ‘Hi. I am going to get some sleep before call. How about we meet downstairs for a coffee?’
    â€˜OK,’I reply.
    He says, ‘Ten minutes?’
    â€˜Sure.’
    Why did I agree to ten minutes? Although I am already showered I need at least half an hour to get ready. He has got me wrapped around his little finger, and he knows it.
    When he says ‘meet downstairs’, does that mean we are having a coffee in the hotel or are we going into town? Do I need to wear every layer of clothing again?
    I decide to show some strength, again. When I get to the foyer, I will insist that we have coffee here at the hotel. I manage to get ready within the ten minutes, but deliberately delay leaving my room for a few more minutes. Then, I walk down to the foyer with confidence.
    He is not dressed to go to the Arctic circle, so it is obvious that he didn’t intend to leave the warm confines of our hotel. It is also obvious that he is more vulgar than I ever imagined, as he is wearing the same clothes he did for the last two days.
    What the hell does he have in his suitcase?
    We sit down in the hotel’s restaurant, which is the only place to get coffee in the complex. We indulge in some idle chit-chat before he drops the