Grounds of the old Walter Reed Army Medical Center Washington, D.C.
35
Hil ary Clinton waited until all the people of the Pan Am flight had entered the lobby of the four-storey, brown and beige brick building, and had put down their suitcases and bags before speaking to them.
‘’Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Mologne House Hotel, a part of the old Walter Reed Army Medical Center. I said ‘old Walter Reed’ because the medical center was transferred a few years ago to the Bethesda Naval Hospital, which now serves servicemen from all our armed services. Mologne House has recently been renovated to act as a transient hotel for government personnel passing through or visiting Washington, but had not yet resumed officially its operations, thus making it ideal for our needs today. Nobody else wil be using this hotel during your stay, thus you wil have plenty of room to make yourselves comfortable. Mister Ramsay Weathers, to my right, and Miss Julie Collins, to my left, wil make sure that you feel at home here during your stay and wil take care of all your needs. If you need anything, ask for them through the hotel staff. Mister Weathers is a protocol officer from the White House, while Miss Collins is the manager of this hotel and is a retired Army logistical officer. Wel , I wil now let them take care of you while I go brief the President at the White House. I intend to visit you tomorrow and speak more with you on your needs and wishes. In the meantime, I wish you a nice stay in Washington.’
Once the Vice-President and her escort agents had left, Julie Collins stepped forward and smiled to the crowd dressed in outdated clothes.
‘’Let me first also welcome you to the Mologne House Hotel. As its manager, I wil be happy to cater to all your needs as much as is possible. The restaurant and bar of the hotel, along with all the other facilities, wil be open to you free of charge. You wil understand however that I wil have to ask you to be reasonable in your use of the bar. I have seen in the past too many convalescing servicemen try to drown their medical problems with alcohol and I can assure you that it didn’t work. If the barman or barmaid judges you to be too intoxicated, they will have the authority to refuse you more drinks. I wil back them in this and government agents wil be around the hotel to keep the peace.
A doctor and nurse wil also be available in the hotel if you do not feel wel . Just advise the reception desk and they will pay you a visit. I will now ask the persons with children to step to the reception desk, so that we could attribute them suitable rooms.’
36
The American Trade Consul to Paris, David Brown, stepped forward first with his wife and two young children, followed closely by Grace Kelly and her daughter Caroline.
Four more families with children followed them, all getting executive suites with two rooms, a kitchenette and a bathroom. The majority of the passengers, being mostly unaccompanied men, got single rooms with bathroom. However, the Pan Am crewmembers elected to stay together as much as possible, with the four stewardesses asking for a single executive suite and the three male flight crews sharing the last available such suite. After a short hesitation, Marilyn Monroe approached Jack Lemmon and led him away from the others before speaking to him in a near whisper.
‘’Jack, I don’t think that I possibly could stay alone by myself here without going crazy. I know that this wil look and sound scandalous, but I would like to stay together with you during our time in Washington. We learned to know each other during the filming of our last movie and we both know that we each have our demons. Together, we may hold on better than if we were each on our own.’’
Lemmon, a divorced man that, despite his celebrity, always found time for others, contemplated the beautiful blond with surprise at first. Then his expression changed to one of understanding and he nodded his head.
‘’You are right, Marilyn: we wil hold better together than separated. I promise you that I wil not abuse the situation.’
Marilyn then smiled for the first time since yesterday and she gently caressed his cheek with one hand.
‘’And I promise to try not to abuse the situation myself. Let’s go to the reception desk together!’
Fol owed by a growing number of eyes, the two actors walked resolutely to the reception desk with their luggage, presenting themselves to Julie Collins, who was helping the two receptionists register the newcomers. Jack Lemmon put on the counter his passport and that of Marilyn Monroe and spoke as if all was well in the world.
‘’Miss, I would like a single room for me and my friend.’
Julie Collins looked with big eyes at the two actors, trying unsuccessfully to hide her amusement.
‘’A single room for you and Miss Monroe? No problem, Mister Lemmon! I can give you Room 116, a studio suite with kitchenette and mini-fridge.’
‘’That wil be perfect, miss.’
37
Lemmon took the two keys offered by Collins, then signed with Marilyn the guest book, which was quickly becoming a collector’s item. Julie Collins had to politely remind them of the correct date then. There were more than a few whispered comments as Lemmon and Monroe walked hand-in-hand to the elevators, a bel boy pushing a cart fil ed with their suitcases. The couple managed to keep a straight face until the bel boy had dropped their luggage in their room and had left, then burst out laughing.
‘’Oh my, did you see their faces?’’ Said Marilyn, stil giggling.
‘’Yeah! Maybe we should keep up the act: it could be fun.’
‘’Deal!’
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CHAPTER 5 – FALLOUT
16:52 (New York Time)
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Office of the Vice-President, Old Executive Building Washington, D.C.