Chapter 3

Tummy full of meatloaf, Grace thanked Laurel and headed next door to the Motel. Eager for a hot shower and a comfortable bed, Grace kept her hopes high that she would be able to stay at the motel for the night, get directions to Magnolia Promenade, and leave early the next morning. Walking through the parking lot, Grace passed by two cars. One of the vehicles was an old yellow truck that looked like it had been sitting there abandoned for awhile.

“I wish I had a car.” Grace though to herself.  “That would make things so much easier.” With a heavy sigh, Grace shuffled inside the lobby of the motel. A man was there, standing behind the counter on the phone. He raised his hand, smiled, and signaled that he would be with her in a moment. Grace nodded and smiled back. Looking around the lobby, Grace noticed a few photos that were hanging on the wall.

Stepping closer, Grace saw that there were two photos. One was of a beautiful girl with bright, happy eyes and even brighter colored hair. The other photo was of the same girl and the man that was on the phone behind the counter. Grace couldn’t stop looking at the girls hair. It was gorgeous.

“I wish I could have pink hair.” Grace thought.

“Thanks, man. I’ll see you tonight at 7pm.” The man said. Hanging up the phone, he looked over at Grace.

“Hi. Looking for a room?” He said, smiling at Grace.

“Uhh…yes…uhhh.. Laurel sent me here for a room.” Grace said, quietly. She wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Laurel was nice enough to feed her for free but could Grace really get a free room just by mentioning Laurel’s name?

“Oh!” The man said, surprised, “Of course! I have a room available for you. No charge. My name is Angelo, let me get you keys to a room. How long would you like to stay?” Angelo said, walking around the hotel front desk to hand room keys to Grace. Grace was shocked. How was it that she came across so many nice people?

“Um, only one night. I just really appreciate the help.” Grace said, embarrassed that she was relying on the help of others so much.

“You can stay as long as you need. We all need a helping hand from time to time.” Angelo smiled, reassuringly as he handed Grace the keys to the room.

“I left in such a hurry, I didn’t grab a toothbrush, clothes, food, and necessities. Is there anywhere nearby that I can get some stuff?” Grace asked.

“There’s a Kwik-E-Mart that’s open 24 hours across the street.” Angelo said, pointing across the way. As he pointed, Grace noticed a tattoo on his arm.

“Oh, wow. That’s cool.” Grace gushed.

“Oh, thanks. My sister drew it for me.” Angelo said, motioning towards the girl in the photo hanging on the wall. “I tattooed it on myself. In the hours I’m not running this desk, I do tattoos under the table in Room 101 here. People just show up and look in my photo album of work I’ve done and I tattoo them on the spot. Given they have the cash, of course.” Angelo said with a wink.

“She’s beautiful. I love her bright colored hair.” Grace said with a smile. As Angelo looked at the photo, his face fell.

“Yeah. She was beautiful.” Grace picked up on the past tense and instantly felt horrible. His sister was dead.

 

*Author’s note: A special thank you to Writtenfae as she let me borrow her gorgeous Abigail Blackmoore for this chapter. Writtenfae writes the amazing, “Blackmoore Legacy”. A Sims 4 Legacy Challenge. Check out her story HERE.