When I got to the hotel that night, I was dressed simply and my hair was pulled back neatly. My hands were a little shaky—not because the hotel intimidated me, as it was mine, but due to my family.
The family member that made me feel out of place was my brother, Andrés who was engaged to a beautiful woman named Daniela. In all her pictures and in real life, she looked perfect and carried herself like an elegant woman with poise—at least when she was around people whom she felt were worthy of her presence. I had traveled from my little hometown to celebrate their engagement even though I had spent the last several years creating a life filled with contracts and meetings and major decisions. To my family, I was still just “the country girl.”
A country girl who reeked of earth.
A country girl who couldn’t dress properly.
A quiet country girl.
A country girl who supposedly did not have a clue what luxury was.
Nobody in the room knew that I had owned the Gran Hotel Alborada for the past three years—the grand marble structure with massive chandeliers and its completely booked rooms booked months in advance.
I never said anything about it because I never wanted people to define who I was based on how much money I had. My grandfather once said something to me that I will never forget:
“Don’t tell people what you have. Watch how they treat you when they think you don’t have anything.”
Tonight I understood what my grandfather meant when he told me this.
When I entered the ballroom, everyone had their glasses raised in a toast. Daniela was standing in the middle of the ballroom in a gold dress and her smile was carefully practiced. When Andrés saw me, he waved to me but did not come over. Perhaps he was busy. Perhaps he was doing something. I couldn’t tell.As I approached her to say hello, she looked at me from my head down to my feet. Her face was still smiling, but her eyes changed direction.
“Hello, Daniela. Good job.”
“Oh, you’re Andrés’s sister,” she said, extending her hand to shake.
“Yes, I’m Valeria,” I replied.
“You’re from the village,” she said, giving me a half-smile. She barely touched my hand as she spoke.
I looked at a few of her friends who let out small laughs.
I did not move from my place and remained calm. “Yes, that’s me.”
She inched closer to me as though she was going to speak to me quietly; however, it was too loud so others could overhear.
“You should have told us you were going to dress like that. This is a formal occasion.”
I looked down at my dress and saw that it was a simple, dark blue dress that I thought looked clean and tidy on me as an elegant, formal evening gown.
“I thought it was proper,” I said.
She wrinkled her nose slightly as though in disgust. “Oh, it may be proper for where you live.”
This was the first blow. So, I chose to be quiet at that time. I did not come to fight; I came to support my brother.
The evening had only started.
At dinner time, I was seated far from the main table. That was fine with me; I had a good view of everything that was going on. I noticed Daniela treating the staff with a quiet, subtle form of arrogance and only being nice to my mother while others were watching her. I also noticed that she would hold Andrés’s hand only while cameras were close.
I was aware of my brother.
He was quiet.
He was uneasy.
Yet he said nothing.
After the toast, I went into the hallway to get some fresh air and overheard Daniela talking to two of her friends outside the restroom.
“I don’t understand why Andrés wanted to have her here,” one of her friends said.
Daniela laughed, “Because she is his sister.””Family loyalties.”
“She just doesn’t belong here!”
“Certainly not,” replied Daniela. “She’s a disgusting hick. Just picture her at the wedding!”
It honestly did hurt me but not enough to define who I am, because I know who I am. But I did feel for my brother: if she could hurt someone like me pre-marriage, what would she do post-marriage?
As I started to walk away, Daniela caught eye of me.
Her facial expression was frozen briefly, but then she smiled again.
“Oh Valeria, you’re just being overly sensitive.”
“Oh, Really?”
“It was meant as a joke.”
“Of course.”
“Keep your cool, don’t yell and make an embarrassment of your brother in a place like this.”
At this point within me, a calmness developed.
It wasn’t anger.
It was clarity.
“You are correct,” I replied. “A place like this should be respected.”
She smiled, thinking that she had won.
“Absolutely.”
I nodded in agreement. “That’s why I’m requesting that you never again say something like that about staff members, guests, or anyone you believe to be beneath you.”
A change came over her face. “Excuse me?”
“Furthermore, I will be forwarding my complaint to management regarding the way this event is being run.”
She chuckled. “Oh, you are going to have a talk with the manager?”
Just as she said that, Don Emilio, the General Manager of the hotel, walked up to us. He used to work with my grandfather, and he now works with me.
“Good Afternoon Mrs. Valeria,” he said in a courteous manner. “I hope everything is running smoothly?”
The room went completely silent.
Daniela blinked her eyes. “Mrs…?”
Don Emilio looked back at me.“Do you want us to help you now?”
Taking a breath and holding it in, I continued, “Not at this time; I want first to consult with my sibling.”
Daniela’s complexion turned extremely pale. “What’s the issue?”
I met her gaze and replied, “The hotel that you insulted as a ‘country girl’ belongs to her.”
For the first time during the course of the evening, she had no retort to my response.
Andrés noticed my facial expression and approached me in the ballroom area.
“What happened?”
“It requires discussion.”
Daniela attempted again to interrupt. “She’s exaggerating…”
“No,” I said, maintaining my placidity. “Not today.”
Until this moment, Andrés looked at me—the genuine way.
“Daniela made a condescending remark about my ‘smelly country girl’ persona and continued to discredit me throughout the entire evening.”
He appeared to become rigid. “Daniela…”
She put her hands up as if trying to deflect blame. “It was simply a joke; you’re too sensitive.”
That term once again.
Those who attempt to shift accountability give all their effort to shield the individual they’ve hurt.
“I am not ‘sensitive;’ I am ‘aware’,” I stated.
Then, directing my attention towards Andrés, I said, “I’m not asking for your defense on account of my wealth; I’m asking whether you would defend my right to exist should I not possess financial security.”
He glanced down.
More pain was experienced during the silence than through her derogatory comments.
“I can’t believe you two are behaving this way,” Daniela shouted. “Andrés, say something.”
He gradually elevated his place of concentration.
“Yes,” he responded.
She appeared to be relieved when he confirmed she expected to be provided with support, but immediately changed to direct his attention towards me.
“My sister was raised along with me,” he said. “When we were struggling, she worked afterthe hours of an afternoon class to contribute to the sustenance of our family.”The moment Dad became ill, nonetheless, she still paid for my schooling. I’ve never once felt poor because she ensured that we never felt that way.
A hush fell over the room.
“If your feelings toward people who come from the country is shameful, it simply reveals the fact that you do not understand the value of hard work.”
Daniela’s face went white.
“Andrés…”
Andrés said firmly, “No, I have heard you talk that way about other people before and ignored it. But today you were talking about my sister, and today, I understand that you are not only talking about her; it is simply who you are.”
The party ended very quickly.
There was no dramatic ending, sometimes the truth speaks so softly that every other sound around it is silent.
Daniela left in a fit of rage. Her family attempted to make up for it, apologized, and downplayed it. Later that night; Andrés and I were sitting on the terrace of the hotel overlooking the city lights.
“Why did you not inform us that you owned this hotel before now?” he inquired.
I smiled weakly. “Because I wanted to see if you still looked at me as your sister.”
He closed his eyes. “I failed.”
“Yes.”
“I am sorry.”
However, I did not hug him immediately after he apologised.
There are years of silence and I have to forgive him for that; therefore it takes time before I can extend him that hug.
Instead, I did take hold of his hand.
“Remember where you came from and hold on to that, Andrés; because it is the anchor keeping you anchored to something solid when everything else is crumbling down around you.”
A few months passed before he called off his engagement.
Not simply for me, but as he has finally come into the greatest truth of all time.
As to me and my life. I keep going on about life. I keep seeing my hotel hosting weddings, dinners, and engagements. Every time I see someone who appears to be different or quiet or neglected, I remember that night, and I tell those guests “Please treat every guest as if they are the owners of this establishment.”
You should treat a guest with respect and treat them as they deserve to be treated; regardless of their financial status. No guest should ever have to prove themselves worthy to have dignity.
