“Ma’am, you can’t go in there,” the
large security guard blocked the entrance with his enormous body, hand on his
baton.
I looked at him confused and angry.
“That’s my family,” I yelled balling
my fists ready to try to run through him.
I knew that would be impossible.
I mean, I could run into him but certainly not through him. The guard was built like a solid mass of
flesh, bones, and muscle. He looked like
he was about 6’8”, maybe even 6’9”. I’m
not a short female. I’m 5’10” and my
older brother is 6’6” but I was almost looking straight up to see this guy’s
face. His expression left no room for
arguing but I was going to take my chances.
“That’s my family,” I tried to
swallow my panic and tone down my decibel level. I opened my hands to show I was calm but none
of it worked.
Good thing my arms are long because
even with his height I didn’t have to tiptoe to give him a solid, open handed
slap on his face.
“I know you’re only taking orders,
but you are welcome to pass that on to whomever is giving them,” I hissed.
I smelled his cologne before I heard
his voice behind me.
“Will you follow me, please?” his
formal British accent made me picture one of the royal family members with a
designer suit, perfect hair, and pale skin.
When I turned around I found I was correct about everything except his
skin, which was brown, with an added groomed goatee. His sympathetic ebony colored eyes weakened
my resolve to somehow move the bulldozer of a guard and rush through the
doors. I followed him silently not
looking back.
We walked down the hallway then turned
right at the next intersection. The
whole building was bright with artificial lighting and I felt my skin glimmer
eerily. I wondered if we entered a dark
room whether I would glow. That would be
kind of fun, I thought. I don’t know how
long I had been in this building with its cold lighting, endless hallways, and
locked doors but I was starting to go crazy.
I watched this polished man as he walked
with precision, back straight, eyes forward, total confidence exuding from
every pore. His cologne reminded me of
going to the dance clubs and meeting some of the wealthier patrons. Their colognes were subtle, but the scent
stuck to your cheek after they kissed it.
It was comforting to smell nice the rest of the night although a little
difficult to explain to the husband when I got home. It didn’t help that I worked as a bartender.
I could almost sympathize with the security guard I slapped. Our poor bouncers would have to deal with
wannabe patrons, most of whom couldn’t even afford more than one drink in our
establishment, but wanted to be able to tell their friends they rubbed elbows
with the elite. Our bouncers were
actually giant teddy bears, but they had a job to do and they did it well
despite the abuse they endured. Their
paychecks certainly made up for everything and they were happy. I started to feel bad that I slapped the
guard until we reached a large, glass window.
My tour guide stopped, and I looked inside
to see a family huddled together in a corner.
Their eyes were round saucers. My
heart stopped as I thought about my family just on the other side of that door
just down the hall. Instinct told me to
run and take the security guard by surprise, but my guide must have sensed my
plans because he touched my elbow lightly and nodded toward a green door just a
few steps away. Confused, I followed him
again. The sign on the green door said,
“No Entry,” yet the guide took a key out of his pocket and unlocked it. I heard a series of bolts sliding throughout
the door and just as suddenly, the sound stopped. The door opened slowly on its own. My refined guide gestured for me to enter.
“Is this where my family is being held,” I
asked naively.
He didn’t answer, just smiled and
continued to point me in the direction of the room he just unlocked. I knew there was nothing more I could do so I
walked into the darkness beyond. The green
door closed softly behind me and everything became pitch black. I didn’t have to wait for my eyes to try to
adjust as lighting on the floor illuminated a hallway and I could barely see
another door at the end. I couldn’t go
back through the green door as there was no door handle on my side. Even though the floor looked flat, I found
myself hiking upward. By the time I
reached the door at the other end, I was panting from the exercise.
This door was black and in white letters a
warning read “No Entry.” Having no other
choice, I turned the knob and threw open the door. If there was anyone on the other side, they
would be surprised and hopefully stunned by the force. I heard the door hit a wall and by some
miracle it didn’t swing back to hit me in the face. Good thing, too, since I was too stunned to
move.
The sun was shining brightly, I could hear
waves crashing a short distance away, and the smell of gardenias was heavy in
the air. I stumbled on the small set of
stairs leading out. As soon as I was
clear of the building, the black door slammed shut. Then there was nothing. No door, no steps, no building. Nothing.
I fell to my knees crying. My family!
“Hon,” I heard a voice just above me. I looked up in disbelief and saw my husband
standing there, smiling, with his hand held out to help me up. My girls were just behind him, also smiling,
with towels in their hands and their bathing suits on.
“Come on, Mom! We’re ready to go swimming!”
My husband looked at me concerned. “Are you okay?” he asked quietly as he dried
my tears with his towel.
I nodded silently, took his outstretched
hand, and followed them to the beach.
When I looked back to where the black door was located just a few
seconds before, I saw our van. Just
beyond, in the tree line, a sign read, “No Entry.”
My husband smiled. “This is our private beach, now. The sign is to keep people away.”
I put my head on his shoulder as we
reached the sand and our girls dropped their towels as they rushed to jump into
the gentle waves. My family. I thought I had lost
them. But they were right here all
along.
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