If they’d eaten at six, he didn’t think he’d find them in time to join them. He walked through the bedroom and into the next room. He had barely paid attention to his environment when he came in hours ago. The room had a couch, a desk, and a television stand. A fruit bowl sat in the middle of the coffee table. It held some bananas, oranges, and figs. He grabbed a banana and ate it in three bites.

After he slipped his key into the back pocket of his shorts, he dug through his kit bag and found his wallet, checking to make sure he had a credit card and, for anonymity on the outskirts of a war zone, no military ID. Then he left his room. If the hotel restaurant wasn’t open, he would walk until he found someplace that was. On the way here, he remembered seeing a KFC next to a Starbucks. The presence of Western fast-food joints in the most remote corners of the world always amazed him.

Before he went to the restaurant, he stopped at the front desk. A man in a maroon suit smiled brightly at him.

“English or French?” Rick asked.

“English, sir. My English is good.”

Rick smiled. “Good, because my French is très terrible. Do you have a laundromat here?”

The clerk nodded. “There is a laundry service. You put your clothes in the bag, put the bag in the hallway. A maid, she will gather them and return them by morning.”

Rick shook his head. “Is there a place where I can do my own laundry?”

The man frowned, obviously translating the question. Then he smiled and nodded exuberantly. “Ahh, yes, sir. On floor five, there is machines. Use your room key. No problem.”

“Do the machines take money?”

The man opened a drawer and held up a token that reminded Rick of the video arcades in movie theaters back home. “I can give you tokens and charge them to your room. No problem. You need soap?”

“How many tokens do the machines take?”

“One, sir.”

“I’ll take two, please. And soap for two loads. Is the restaurant still open?”

“Yes, sir. No problem. Open until ten. Hot meals. Very good. The bar is open all the time. You can get cold food in there all the time.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem. I am Hodari. You need anything, ask for Hodari.”

Rick walked through the empty lobby and found the restaurant. The woman at the host stand perked up when she saw him. “Good evening, sir. Just one?”

“Just me.” He gestured toward the big bay windows. “Could I sit by the window?”

“Of course, sir. Follow me.”