Editor’s Note: The Last Hotel: A Novel in Suites by Sonia Pilcer. This is the 27th installment of her tales of the Upper West Side in the 1970s. Look for it every Friday. To read the 26th installment, with links to previous ones, click here. Sonia Pilcer will be reading from The Last Hotel on Sunday, May 3rd at 5 p.m., at Congregation Ahavath Sholom, 15 North St., in Great Barrington, Mass.
Suite 21
Ronald peeked out of the door of Suite 21, looked both ways, locked up, and took the stairs.
He found Saul sitting at his table with the New York Times stock pages spread out before him. He was writing figures in a notebook.
“Can I talk to you about something?”
Saul looked up. “Nu?”
“I’m moving out.”
“When?”
“I have the movers coming on Thursday.”
“What time?”
“5 AM.”
”Isn’t that a little early?”
“Less traffic,” he said.
Saul pondered this for several moments. “You sound like you’re in a hurry.”
He nodded. “I am.”
Saul examined him. “You’re a psychiatrist, right?”
“Actually I’m a clinical psychologist.”
“Whatever you say, sir.”
“Actually we’re very different. A psychiatrist is an MD.”
“Look you’re all the same in my book. People come to you because they have problems.”
“I suppose.”
“I’d never come to a stranger, sit in an office, talk about my problems. I was in Auschwitz. This is my number.” He raised his sleeve and showed his tattoo.
“Be that as it may, Saul, I’m moving out. As you know, I’ve invested quite a bit of money in my suite, particularly in the bedroom. I have a state of the art king-size waterbed, built in bookshelves and –“ He paused. “A mirrored ceiling.”
“Yes, I remember when you hired the workers.”
“I’d like to get something for leaving the furnishings behind.”
“What were you thinking of?”
“Just the bed cost five hundred dollars.”
“I see.”
“Look, it’s a great room. Do you want to see it?”
“We all saw it when the waterbed leaked last year.”
“Oh, yes,” he said. “What do you think I can get for my stuff? It makes the place more valuable, of course.”
“You’re absolutely right.” Saul’s face brightened. “I know just the person you should talk to. He’s the new man. Here, I’ll write down his name. Jonah Last. This is his home phone number. No, he doesn’t mind if you call him at home. He’s got funds. Say hello for me.”
“Thanks.”
As he turned to leave, Saul stopped him. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you.”
“Yes?”
“How much do you charge for a session?”
“I have a sliding scale.”
“What are the numbers?”
“Usually between sixty and a hundred dollars.”
“Whew!” Saul whistled. “I should be a head shrinker.”
Ronald smiled indulgently.
“Any forwarding address?” Saul asked.
He shook his head.
Saul looked him in the eye. “So let me ask you something? Is it that actress in Suite 55?”
Ronald recoiled momentarily. “She keeps calling me.”
“Someone said she’s pregnant.”
“I don’t believe it.” He shook his head. “And if she is, it’s her own damn fault. There’s just too much craziness for me right now,” he said. “And then Hannah the writer on the fifth floor assaults me with her poetry.”
“Assaults you with her poetry.” Saul repeated, nodding thoughtfully.
“Yeah, she just came to my place and took over.”
“I see,” Saul said slowly. “Well, I listened to you. How much do you owe me?”
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Sonia Pilcer is the author of six novels including The Holocaust Kid. The Last Hotel is now available at your favorite bookstore or Amazon.com. Visit Sonia Pilcer’s web site here.
