Chapter forty seven

       As I got out of the train station and got my first look at Oslo my first thought was that it wasn't much different from St Petersburg. It was snowing here just like it was snowing back home and the snow covered buildings and roads would have fit right in with uptown St Petersburg. 

       We took one of the taxi's outside of the station. I didn't know how to speak Norwegian and the taxi driver's English was almost unintelligible but surprisingly Delilah spoke to the man in fluent Norwegian and got us on our way. When I asked her about it she just said that they got sinners from all over the world in hell.

        The taxi driver took us to our destination which was the Hotel Continental and drove off quite happily after I gave him what I suspect might have been an overly generous tip. I hadn't figured out the new money yet and I was liable to make a few mistakes before I get the hang of it.

         When we approached the glass double doors of the hotel it was opened for us by a very polite doorman who greeted us and warmly welcomed us into the hotel, unfortunately neither the staff nor the other guests inside seemed very pleasant as everybody looked at us as if we were stray dogs muddying up the shiny lobby floor.

           Although I have never had any deficiency for cash I never understood people's need to buy designer clothes and fancy jewelry or follow the latest craze in fashion, as a consequence of that I am usually dressed in cheap comfortable clothing , usually a pair of simple black jeans , a T-shirt with an image of a show I like or just some funny cartoons on it, and a warm leather jacket if the weather is too cold. When we entered the lobby of the hotel I was in the usual black jeans , a justice league of america T-shirt and a leather jacket that had the logo of The Grateful Dead emblazoned on its back. Delilah didn't look much different from me although the fur trimming on her boots and jacket gave her a touch more class. We stuck out like a sore thumb with our grungy look surrounded by elegantly dressed people and it was clear that they didn't approve of our fashion sense.

          We went to the checkout counter ignoring all the condescending looks and were confronted by a rail thin man with an upturned nose and wearing the same blue uniform as the rest of the hotel employees. He sneered at us from behind the counter and started to speak with a thick accent," I think you might have entered the wrong place, this isn't some cheap bed and breakfast you can afford. Now run along before I call security."

          That pissed me off so much that for a second I almost reached over and punched the bastard in the face but I managed to control myself and as calmly as I could replied, " We have a reservation under the name Sophia Belikova."

          He didn't even bother to check, "Is this some sort of a joke? Our hotel is the finest establishment in the city , we do not cater to riffraff like you. SECURITY ! SECURITY!"

          A slightly older gentleman with a suit that was the same color as the employee's uniform and had the hotel's logo on its chest walked briskly towards us, "What seems to be the problem here?"

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          The man behind the counter answered, "It is nothing manager, it is just a couple of hooligans disturbing the peace of the hotel, I am having security escort them out."

          The man who was apparently the manager looked closely at my face and said, "Is that you Ms Sophia?"

          I was surprised that this man knew me, "Have we met before?"

          "No but I memorize the faces of all our VIP guests so that we could avoid situations like this, I had sent one of the hotel cars to greet you at the airport but he said you were not there."

          "We came by train from Stockholm, thanks for the thought though."

           I could see the expression on the clerks face change into horror as he slowly realized the mistake he had made and in his panic he blurted out something that sealed his fate, "Are you sure that is them manager? Look at the way they are dressed, you must be mistaken!"

           I saw fury gather on the manager's face like angry clouds , darkening his expression. He slowly turned towards the clerk and spoke in a low voice , "Adrian, are you paid to judge the fashion sense of our guests? No! You are paid to politely serve them and help them check in and check out. If you want to be a fashion critic so badly then go ahead, you are free to follow your dreams because you no longer work here. Pick up your last paycheck and security will escort you out of the building."

           He then turned away from the frozen clerk and spoke to us in a polite tone, " I am sorry about that, as an apology dinner will be complementary as long as you stay in the hotel. I would have bumped you up into a more expensive room but you are already in our presidential suite. Here is my card, my name is Baltasar and I am one of the managers of this hotel. Feel free to call me anytime you want day or night if you need anything. I will personally check you into your room right now , I hope that you don't judge our hotel too harshly by Adrian's actions and again I apologize for what he did."

           He quickly called a bellhop and escorted us to our room. The room was more like a house with its own kitchen with fully stocked fridge, a bathroom with a bathtub and a jacuzzi , a large living room with a couch and a giant flat screen , and finally two rooms with killer views and king sized beds.

          I decided that I was going to like it here.

         *     *     *

       A few minutes later in the lobby.

       An elderly man with silver gray hair approached a bellboy and handed him a roll of bills, "Who was that girl?"

       "Her name is Sophia, I don't know her last name but she is staying in the most expensive room in the hotel, prepaid in cash for a month."

        The man took out another roll of bills and handed them to the bellboy, " Keep an eye on her and if you hear or find out anything about her, anything at all, call me by the number I already gave you, understood?"

        "Understood Senator Thompson."