A turn of the key and a quick flip of the light switch and they were inside. “Follow me upstairs and I’ll try to make sense of these events for you” he said. Once in the bathroom Charles shed his two-day-old clothes and left them lumped on the floor. As he headed for the shower Laura walked in. “Charles!” Startled, he turned to see Laura staring at his pile of clothes on the bathroom floor. “The hamper is right there” she said, pointing to the corner of the room. Exasperated, he turned to retrieve his laundry and put it in its proper place. Once again he headed for the shower, glancing at Laura as he went. She had a playful grin on her face. “Oh, thank you, Lord” he said to himself, “I don’t think she’s going to kill me tonight.”
As the warm water began to flow over him the events of the last two days proceeded to unfold. Sitting at her vanity table, Laura listened in amazement. Frequently she would interrupt for clarification but Charles didn’t mind. It was good to be home.
Laura stopped Charles when the story got to Edward’s part in this saga. “You mean that good-for-nothing brother of yours left these people stranded in the middle of nowhere?” she exclaimed. “Yep, that’s about the size of it” he said. He continued to relate how Harold had been swindled and how the call had come to dad. Anger and sympathy swirled around together in her mind. She continued to ask many questions. Charles answered the best he could, but he was still trying to piece this together also. The warm water felt so good, he just stood there with his eyes closed. Finally, Laura spoke, “Come on Charles, we’ve got to be back at the hotel in less than an hour.” Charles grudgingly shut off the water and prepared himself for reality. As he stepped out of the shower a large towel and a kiss from Laura greeted him. “Thanks, you’re the best” he said. “I know it” she said laughingly “and don’t you forget it.” He gave her a big hug.
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