Bathhouse Girl (5): Memories in the Attic
The inn's attic. It was the same place I'd visited half a year ago when I first arrived at this inn. Back then, I couldn't sleep a wink thanks to the lewd noises coming from the next room over, so I'd stormed out. Della, who was crying outside, heard my story and brought me to her room—up to this very attic. At the end of the third-floor hallway, you climb a ladder to reach Della's little nook. She'd set the urn down beside the ladder.
"I'll leave it here, Dad. Can't climb with just one hand, after all."
I could've helped, but I didn't feel like it. Guess I'm not the type to let go of grudges just because someone's dead.
We climbed the ladder to the attic.
"Hold on. Let me light the lamp."
A cheap candle on the rickety desk flickered to life, casting a dim glow over the cramped space. The slanted ceiling dipped low at an angle, and a tiny window let in scant light. The bedding she'd tidied up before leaving was still neatly in place. Dust blanketed the chest for her few clothes and the wobbly desk.
I took in the narrow room at a glance. "Brings back memories, huh."
"Yeah... It's been half a year already."
Della smiled faintly, lost in recollection. The first time I'd come here, her father had shoved her into my room—the best one, he'd said. But in this dump, that was code for "send a virgin." When I realized she was being forced into prostitution, I tried kicking her out. She clung on, saying she'd get beaten to death if she went back empty-handed. In the end, I shoved three gold coins into her hands—her "virgin price"—and sent her packing. Thinking back, it was pretty damn funny.
"What's so amusing?"
"Oh, nothing... Just remembered how we first met."
"Right. What a weird way to meet."
We locked eyes and chuckled softly. Not a belly laugh, but it warmed the air just the same.
"When you turned me down at first, I felt relieved... but also wondered if I was that unappealing. If I had to keep doing this, I figured it'd be better to lose it to a decent guy like you."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Your voice is so gentle, and... you're handsome, too..."
"Haha! Should've just gone for it then, huh?"
Della flushed a little but kept her soft smile. "Then I saw you beating up those loan sharks, and I was shocked. Thought maybe you were cut from the same cloth."
"Birds of a feather. Can't solve it with brains? Use your fists."
She laughed louder at that.
"Still... following you was the best decision I ever made. Probably the best thing I'll do in my life."
"Glad you think so. Dragged you to a rundown inn with nothing but grief."
"Never felt like grief. Every minute with you was pure happiness."
We gazed at each other, smiling. Della had this way of lifting your spirits just by looking at her. Sure, the golden hair and blue eyes made her a classic beauty, but it was the pure heart shining in those sapphire depths that really did it.
"Della, what do you plan to do with the urn?"
"Take it to Rosens. Bury him in some scenic spot on a hillside. Help me buy the land when the time comes?"
"Sure. He'll like that. Even if he was a piece of shit when alive..."
"Yeah... But he was still my dad. I can't just hate him outright. It's not that easy."
Tears welled up in her big eyes again, but she wiped them away with a smile. "Now... you're my family. You and the staff."
"You're family to me too. Like a little sister."
"Thank you."
She beamed prettily and looked down. Silence settled over the tiny attic, so I shifted to practical matters.
"I'll wipe out all the inn's debts. Tomorrow, we'll head to city hall and handle the inheritance. You're running the place now."
"Me... run the inn?"
"Yeah. Your great-uncle built it, your mom ran it. It's yours by right."
"Can't I just... not? Close it down?"
Her father's death had her all tangled up emotionally, sure. But shutting down wasn't an option. There were the staff—prostitutes or not—their jobs and paychecks. Plus, owning an inn meant taxes, and Bue was brutal on that front. Idle property would just bleed her dry with no income.
I explained it all. Smart girl that she was, Della got it. Her heart, though? Not so much.
"Boss... I'm scared. Taking over an inn in a big city like this out of nowhere? What if I screw it up?"
"Don't worry. I'll help. Cover all the costs to get it back on track."
She went quiet, head bowed.
"Think about it, Della. All that studying was for running an inn. Skip this, and you'll be waitressing at mine forever?"
"Yeah..."
"I get the nerves. But don't quit before you start."
No response. She just hung her head in silence. Crying her eyes out at the cremation today, then dumping inn talk on her—too much.
"Sorry, Della. Sleep on it. We'll talk tomorrow with clear heads. Back to Rosens?"
"No... I'll stay here."
"You sure? Our inn's comfier. Hell horse could get us there in a flash."
"Reminds me of that night here with you..."
I looked at her. Those wistful eyes—I couldn't say no.
"Alright... We'll crash here."
"Thanks..."
We spread the bedding on the floor. Extra set made it spacious, but Della laid them side by side, snug.
"Windy at night here... Better stay close for warmth."
She blew out the candle and slipped under her covers. "Goodnight, Boss."
"Night, Della."
How much time passed? As Della had warned, cold autumn wind seeped through the window cracks. The shoddily fitted old frame let it howl right in.
"Hic... snff..."
Chilly? Or still crying? Della made a weird noise. Then a rustle—she rolled toward me. Her small face peeked from her blanket.
"Boss... Cold..."
"C'mere, Della. I'll hold you."
She scooted over on her back, wriggling into my blanket. I pillowed her head on my arm and pulled her close. Soap scented her hair as it nuzzled my chest.
"Damn, you're right—freezing. How'd you survive here?"
"Just... did. Stuffed clothes in the frame..."
She mumbled. "Summers are brutal. Mosquitoes everywhere..."
Her voice trailed off into steady breaths. Asleep. I held her tight, drifting off myself—when she spoke.
"Boss."
"Huh...? What? Still up?"
"I don't wanna run the inn..."
"Okay. We'll talk tomorrow."
"No... Tomorrow'll be the same. I don't wanna."
She whispered against my chest. "It's not nerves. If I run it... I'd have to leave you. I hate that."
"I don't want you gone either. But innkeeper's your dream. Chance like this doesn't come twice. Starting from scratch costs a fortune."
"Not about money..."
"Even without—years waitressing at mine first. You'd miss out on—"
"I'll stay forever."
I shut up. Face buried in my chest, she murmured on.
"Forever. By your side."
"Della..."
"Idi said it. She likes you so much, she'll work till we close. I like you too. Wanna stay with you. So... no inn."
That gloomy Idi... putting ideas in innocent Della's head.
"Money's no issue. You're family, Rosens inn's home. I'll live there. And later..."
She paused, then: "When you're old and can't move like now, I'll care for you."
"What...? Crazy talk."
"I'll be a grandma by then... but still way younger than you."
"Haha! Think so? Even lifelong couples struggle with bedside care."
She jolted, startled. Long silence, just fidgeting in my arms.
"Rather than that..."
Della muttered to herself—then dropped a bombshell.