Midnight in Paris
One late night in Paris, my friend and I roamed around the crowded city to find a quiet place to rest. But every step we made was like stepping on nothing. Rooms were too expensive, cheap places seemed chancy and even the train station we were hoping to stay up all night closed. The night only got deeper and colder leaving us footsore after hours of searching. We began to lose hope until we saw a familiar hotel sign and decided to stay in the hotel lobby. This was when I first met Nadir.
He was the receptionist of the hotel. He was dark skinned, average-height and was wearing a neat black suit with a navy neck tie. He had a short brush cut hair slightly wavy and had large-lidded dark eyes with managerial eyebrows that gave him a soft impression. His face was oval and he had two different smiles. One where his nose would flatten as his cheekbones raised to meet his eyes and one where he had the Mona Lisa smile looking mysterious and deep in thought. His first impression was overall presentable and comfortable looking 40.
When our eyes first met, I was apprehensive about how he would react when I was about to ask him if we could stay in the lobby till dawn to catch our train in the morning. The lobby was warm and welcoming with wide and cozy sofas but feeling guilty we could not rest. In the end, we ended up standing in front of the hotel desk.
"Bonjour…Hi. My friend and I would like to ask if we could stay here in the lobby till dawn. We have a train to catch in the morning so, well, we did not make any room reservations…Do you mind if we stay in the lobby for a while?" I asked anxiously. Then he gave me that Mona Lisa smile that raised my heartbeat. I felt uneasy until he took the sting out of everything when he said, 'I've been there. I was once a college student. Hold on a second, let me see what I can do.' His words were brief yet profound. After a little while, he offered us a key.
"Here is a room key. A pilot reserved a room, stayed for three hours and left so the room is vacant. You guys can stay there."
"Really?" We asked in amazement because it was one of the expensive hotels in Paris.
"Yes." He replied genuinely leaving us speechless.
As we entered the hotel room, it was like going from rags to riches. We jumped up and down on the bed like little children, we did not know how else to thank him. Later that night however, we were able to treat him some dessert after his work. My friend and I went down to the lobby and asked whether we could treat him. He said, "Sure," and this was when I got to know Nadir, not as the receptionist but as a man himself.
Dressed up casually, he offered us a ride to a near café where we talked about life and people. This was when he talked about passing forward. A woman one day, peeked through the hotel door where he was working in the morning. Looking impatient, she asked if she can use the restroom. He responded yes with a smile but little did he know his yes would lead to a free ticket to a costly event that he had longed to visit in the United States. Later he found out she was an important person in the film industry and he really appreciated her hospitality. It left a positive impression on him he wanted to pass forward the kindness that was passed on to him.
As he finished his last word, everything fell into places his hospitality and kindness which led to hours of getting to know each other. After all Nadir was a warm-hearted man who loved to take risks, who loved to play his guitar and who so treasured the goodness in life. He was a thoughtful man who showed through actions what little act of kindness can do. Now whenever I think of Paris, I am reminded of Nadir and his words to pass forward.
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