A pause. A clatter of computer keys. "Room thirty-three-ten is a deluxe room."

I eyed the narrow beds, the bare walls, the eleven-inch television screen. "You've got to be kidding."

"I'm Swiss, Madame. I never kid. Is there anything else?"

"How much would it cost us to upgrade to a super deluxe room?"

"There are no super deluxe rooms available at this time."

"Then place my name on a waiting list, and when one comes available, call me." I hung up the phone and shook my head. "I don't know, Nana. It doesn't sound too promising. We could be stuck here for a while."

"That'd be fine with me, dear. The room's not so bad once the shock wears off. It has a cozy feel to it. Kinda puts me in mind of your grampa's little ice shanty." She looked left and right. "Only your grampa had room for a La-Z-Boy recliner...and his TV was bigger."

Chapter 2

In the midst of a dead sleep, I felt a light tap on my shoulder and heard Nana's voice close to my ear. "Emily, dear, it's a quarter to five. Can you be dressed for dinner in fifteen minutes? Remember, Wally said to meet in the lobby at six o'clock sharp."

I opened one eye. I felt as if I'd been hit with a sledge-hammer. "How long have I been asleep?" I mumbled.

"Five hours."

"FIVE HOURS?! But...but how could I sleep that long? I wasn't tired. I slept on the plane. I was only taking a catnap."

"Must be jet lag. I seen on Dateline NBC that crossin' the Atlantic by plane can really disrupt your circadian rhythm. Throws your sleep pattern way outta whack. You sleep when you should be awake and you're awake when you should be asleep. They done a study."

I scrubbed my face with my hands and eyed Nana through my fingers. "Have you been asleep, too?"

"I slept for twenty minutes, 'til the bags arrived. Then I unpacked, and showered, and set up my laptop, and sent an E-mail to your parents to tell 'em we got here okay. I checked Hometown temperature and would you believe it's warmer in Iowa today than it is in Lucerne? Back home it's seventy-five degrees. It's only fifty in Lucerne. I'm headin' down to supper now so's I won't be late. You come when you can."

"But supper isn't until six. It's only quarter of five. You have an hour and fifteen minutes."

"So I'll be right on time. I'll leave the key on the desk for you, dear. Don't forget to bring it."

Iowans were always punctual. Insanely punctual. If they were an hour early, they thought themselves "on time." If they arrived at the appointed time, they considered themselves late. Even though Nana wasn't a native Iowan, she still had the compulsion. I guess it came from growing up in a bordering state. After my stint in New York, I'd schooled myself to become less compulsive about time. These days, I could remain calm and in control even if I was a few minutes late.