— “Looks like he couldn’t afford a bottle of water at a gas station, let alone a seat in our restaurant.”
Michael heard it all, every word, but he remained silent. He sat in a chair in the far corner, placed his bag neatly on the floor, rested his hands on his cane, and waited. The atmosphere in the lobby grew tense. People sipped their expensive lattes, gesturing toward him and whispering.
A young boy, tugging on his mother’s sleeve, asked innocently:
— “Mom, why is that man sitting there? He doesn’t look like the other people.”
The mother replied loudly enough for Michael to hear:
— “That’s what happens when you don’t plan for the future, honey. If you aren’t successful, you end up being the odd man out.”
Paula passed by again, saying to a coworker without lowering her voice:
— “I don’t know what Victor, our GM, is going to say. Letting people like that loiter is a liability. It ruins the ‘elite’ atmosphere we’ve worked so hard to build.”
The coworker chuckled:
— “Don’t worry, he’ll get bored and wander off soon enough.”
Michael didn’t defend himself. He simply waited for a single person to show a shred of professional courtesy. He sat there for a full hour, checking his old watch occasionally, looking toward the front desk with a patient hope that someone would finally do their job.
He expected someone to eventually say, “Mr. Lewis, we found your reservation, sorry for the wait.” But the staff continued to treat him as if he were invisible.
Finally, Michael gripped the armrests and stood up. He walked to the desk and said firmly:
— “Ma’am, if you’re too busy, please call the General Manager. I have a matter to discuss with him.”
Paula thought to herself, *The nerve of this guy, wanting to see the GM.* She reluctantly picked up the phone and called Victor, the General Manager.
— “Victor,” she said in a sugary tone, “there’s an elderly gentleman here who is quite insistent on speaking with you.”
Victor looked down at Michael through the glass wall of his second-floor office. He let out a dry laugh into the receiver:
— “Is he a VIP or just a walk-in looking for a handout? I don’t have time for nonsense. Let him sit. He’ll realize he’s not welcome and leave on his own.”
Paula repeated the message and told Michael to keep waiting. Michael took a deep breath, suppressed his frustration, and sat back down. The weight of the judgmental stares was heavy, but his eyes still held a spark of resolve, as if saying, “The truth can be delayed, but it can’t be stopped.”
Michael remained in the lobby, motionless. Time crawled, and every minute felt like an hour. Paula approached him again, her heels clicking sharply on the marble.
— “Sir, you’re going to be waiting a long time. The manager is tied up with very important business.”
Michael gave a sad smile and nodded:
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