Typical Day
Lou Vuitton Dinghopper's alarm goes off at 5:00AM and he automatically hits snooze. He's exhausted. It's early, much too early. The sun isn't even up yet.
Luckily, Lou's dog, Belle, doesn't let him fall back to sleep. She licks his face until he is forced to get up.
The manager of the Shmoop Towers Hotel, Mr. Gusto, warned Lou that if he were late again, he would lose his job as head bellboy. Since Lou has been on the job the longest (three years), he is the most senior bellboy at the hotel. He'll lose all seniority if he has to start working somewhere else.
Besides, Lou makes decent money in tips at Shmoop Towers, even when he has to work the early shift. If Lou ever expects to move out of his parents' house and into his own apartment, he needs to start saving his money.
Lou showers, shaves, and puts on his bellboy uniform—a smart burgundy jacket with gold buttons and matching trim, black slacks, and black shoes. He also has a matching hat, which he hates. It slips off his head and itches, but Mr. Gusto insists he wears it. Lou holds the hat and shoves a Pop-Tart in his mouth. By 6:00AM he's out the door, while the rest of his family is still asleep.
Lou hops on the E train from Queens and transfers to the C to get to Manhattan's Upper West Side, the location of the hotel. It's a bitter cold December morning, and while there's still snow on the ground, it's not expected to snow again for another day.
Lou hates the snow, and he hates the cold. He also hates taking the train on mornings like this and wishes he were back at home in his parents' house, snuggled under a warm blanket. But Lou has big plans and dreams, and none of those will come true if he's late for work again.
Mr. Gusto is waiting at the concierge desk when Lou arrives at 7:03AM. Three minutes late.
Mr. Gusto is not pleased. He lectures Lou on the importance of being on time and then asks him, "Where is your hat?"
Oh no! Lou left it on the train again. This is the third hat that he's lost.
Mr. Gusto rolls his eyes. "I will have to take $35 out of your paycheck to pay for that hat. Don't. Lose it. Again." He whisks a hat into Lou's hand and pivots away from him.
That's over three hours of wages lost just for a stupid hat. Lou sighs. There's nothing he can do about it.
A tall, thin man with wire-rim glasses enters the hotel with his willowy wife, followed by two squabbling siblings. This is the Bourghesie family. Mr. Gusto greets them with gusto and tells Lou to take the family and their luggage up to the Alpha A suite.
Lou loads up his luggage cart with six bags for the rambunctious family, who continues to argue amongst themselves throughout the elevator ride. The kids pinch one another while the parents pretend not to notice.
After Lou shows the Bourghesie family out of the elevator and into their room, he opens up the curtains and sets their luggage down on the rack.
He asks the family if he can be of any service. Can he send room service up? Are they hungry? Would they like to know a good restaurant nearby?
Mr. Bourghesie says no, that will be all, and hands Lou a $3 tip.
This is a teenie tiny tip. At Shmoop Towers, the customary tip is anywhere between $2 to $5 a bag.
Lou takes the money and thanks the Bourghesies. As he walks out of the room, he mumbles under his breath, making sure he lets the word "cheap" escape clearly from his lips.
He rides the elevator back down to the lobby, where Mr. Gusto has another family, the Kennebunks, ready to have their luggage loaded. Lou hauls five pieces of luggage onto his cart and escorts the family to the elevator.
This time, the family of three—a mother, father, and little girl holding tight to her American Girl doll—ride up the elevator in complete silence.
Lou shows them into their room and opens the blinds.
"Hmmmm," notes the mother as she stares out the window to the high-rise buildings in Midtown Manhattan. "The room seems smaller than before, don't you agree, Nora?" The little girl flops onto her bed and lies down flat with her doll, paying no attention to her mother.
Lou nervously unloads the luggage. What did the mother mean when she said the room looks smaller? Is she displeased with something? Lou decides to fill the uncomfortable silence.
"Are you familiar with the area? Do you need me to recommend a place for breakfast? I know loads of great...."
"No, that'll be all. Thank you." She hands Lou a crisp $20 and a crinkled $5, which he tucks away into his pocket, quite pleased with himself.
"If there's anything else you need from me, don't hesitate to ask," says Lou. He takes off, giving little Nora a wink on his way out of the room.
It's a busy morning, and Lou spends it going up and down the elevator several times, making over $100 in tips. It's the most he's ever made in such a short period of time, and he's thrilled.
However, the next two hours only bring a handful of visitors, and he is stiffed on a tip by two of them.
By the end of his eight-hour shift, Lou makes over $200 in tips. It ends up being a banner day after all, and he's that much closer to being able to move out of the house.
His back, shoulders, and legs sting with pain from all of the lifting and walking. He takes three aspirin and washes them down with a cold soda from the vending machine.
Lou peers over his shoulder to see if Mr. Gusto is around. With no management in sight, he slinks down the hall to the pool area, and slips into the hot tub. Just as his muscle tension begins to subside, he hears a stern voice echo through the cavernous room.
"Lou! Get out of the hot tub immediately."
Busted by Mr. Gusto.
Lou hangs his head, water dripping from strands of his hair, as Mr. Gusto berates him, threatening to fire him if he sets foot in the pool area again. The jacuzzi and pool, along with all other hotel amenities, are for guests only.
Lou gets dressed and heads back into the cold New York night. It's not even 5:00PM, but it's already dark and starting to snow. Lou shivers, his hair still damp, and tries to hustle as fast as his sore muscles will allow. He steps back onto the C train and fights sleep the whole way home, nearly missing his connection.
He enters his parents' house where his mother has dinner on the table and his father and little sister are watching TV. The family sits down to eat together. Lou practically face plants into his mashed potatoes, he's so tired.
He goes to bed early and dreams of moving on and moving out.