“Sir, you are distracting our guests. Could you please leave the hotel?” the hotel receptionist asked him.
“No, I have to wait right here. I have a meeting with my daughter,” the old man replied, his voice trembling with desperation.
“You must leave right away, or I’m asking security to escort you out,” the receptionist said again, growing impatient.
“If you would just listen to me, I have every right to be in this hotel like everybody else!” the old man cried out. By then, the security had already forced him out of the hotel premises.
“Please! Don’t do that! I need to see my daughter!” he shouted, but his pleas fell on deaf ears.
Banned from entering the hotel, the old man lost all hope and cried. He cried until he heard the sound of a vehicle. A fancy car stopped close to him. He looked up, wiping his tears with his sleeve.
“Excuse me, sir,” the woman said from the car. His heart skipped a beat as he recognized the voice.
It was his daughter, Olivia. She stepped out of the car, her elegant dress contrasting sharply with the disheveled state of her father. Her face, however, softened when she saw the anguish in his eyes.
“Dad?” she said softly, approaching him. “What are you doing out here?”
“They wouldn’t let me in,” he said, his voice breaking. “I told them I had a meeting with my daughter, but they didn’t believe me.”
Olivia’s eyes filled with tears as she wrapped her arms around him. “I’m so sorry, Dad. I didn’t know this would happen. Let’s go inside together.”
She took his hand and led him back to the hotel entrance. The receptionist, now looking nervous, tried to intervene. “Ma’am, this man was causing a disturbance—”
“He’s my father,” Olivia interrupted, her voice firm. “And he has every right to be here.”
The receptionist’s face turned pale. “I’m terribly sorry, ma’am. I didn’t know.”
“You should have listened to him,” Olivia said, a note of reprimand in her tone. “Please make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
The old man looked at his daughter with pride and gratitude as they walked into the hotel lobby. Olivia guided him to a quiet corner where they could talk.
“Dad, why didn’t you call me?” she asked, concerned.
“I did, but my phone died,” he admitted. “I was afraid I wouldn’t find you, and I didn’t want to miss our meeting.”
Olivia squeezed his hand. “I’m just glad we found each other. I’m sorry for what you went through.”
He smiled weakly. “It’s not your fault, sweetheart. I’m just happy to be here with you now.”
They spent the afternoon catching up, talking about memories, and planning for the future. The old man’s heart felt lighter with each passing moment, the pain of the morning’s events fading away in the warmth of his daughter’s presence.
As they prepared to leave the hotel later, Olivia made sure to speak with the hotel manager, ensuring that her father would never face such humiliation again. She arranged for him to have a permanent guest pass, allowing him to visit her whenever he wished without any trouble.
The next time the old man walked into that hotel, he was greeted with respect and warmth. And every time he met his daughter there, he felt a renewed sense of joy and pride, knowing that no matter what obstacles they faced, their bond was unbreakable.
