Maisie and Talia only had a few minutes to check into the hotel, find their room, and freshen up and they made the most of it - Talia brushing her teeth hovering over the sink, while Maisie touched up her makeup behind her, craning her neck to get the best use of the mirror. Her phone buzzed, nearly falling off the counter, where Maisie'd hastily set it down when they entered the bathroom.
"Uber's here!" she said, bumping into Talia's hip and causing her friend to accidentally spit toothpaste on her blouse.
"I have to change now!"
"Hurry!"
Talia peeled the shirt off and grabbed a tee from her bag as Maisie slung her purse over her shoulder and opened the door. "I'll go down and meet them."
"Okay, I'll follow in a sec."
Maisie breezed out and grabbed the elevator to the lobby. Inside, a young father struggled to keep his twin girls in their stroller with bribes of toys and candy. They didn't work.
"Want a hand?" she asked.
"I got it," he replied, his voice clipped. She backed into the corner to give him space. When the elevator reached the lobby, she let him out first, holding the "open" button to give him time to collect the girls and their various articles of clothing and toys. He didn't say "thank you" as he exited.
"Guess I'm not in North Carolina anymore," Maisie said, following a few feet behind. She tended to forget how real Southern hospitality was until she encountered Northern "charm."
When she walked outside, she found the Uber driving arguing with the valet whether or not he was allowed to park in the loading zone to pick a customer up.
"You have to be loading or unloading, that's what the zone is for," the valet reasoned.
"I am loading! I'm loading customers into my car."
"Not yet you're not!"
Maisie stepped up to intervene. "I'm here! You're picking me up. And my friend - she had an accident with some toothpaste, but she'll be right now." She turned to the valet, "We'll be out of your hair in just a minute. I'm sorry." Pulling a five dollar bill out of her purse, she handed it to him. He frowned, but accepted the tip.
"One minute, then he's got to move this vehicle. He's slowing down our system."
She smiled and nodded. The valet walked back to his podium and started talking into a walkie talkie as Maisie climbed into the backseat of the car. Talia appeared on the sidewalk before she had a chance to shut the door.
"Oh, good. We were going to have to circle the block if you didn't show up quickly."
Talia's eyebrow shot up. "What?"
"Never mind. To Buzzfeed we go!"