And anyway the name Henry reminded her of a spotty boy with a stomach problem who sat next to her on the bus on the way back from school, so there was really no contest; that, and the hour bus ride from Duquesne posed easier access as its drop-off point was on the corner of Grand Avenue, a two-minute walk from her place of work. Her decision was made – the Carlton Hotel.

It was the gem in a city that was witnessing wealth and sophistication. The molten steel solidifying into money.

Her employment was as a chambermaid and this, she felt, rather like an air stewardess, carried a new-style status, enabling contact with that amazing thing for the provincial dweller, the sophisticated out-of-towner.

There was, for her, one memorable visitor to the hotel, who had come from Los Angeles to watch the newly-merged Dons and Rams play the Pittsburgh Steelers; the Steelers won that game 27–26 in the last three minutes. Saved by an eighty-yard touchdown pass from the Steelers’ quarterback Bobby Layne.

And here we are, revelled Lomita. A gentle fist pump and the barely audible cry:

‘Bobby!’

The result, though still precisely recalled all these years later, had no real interest for Lomita; it was all about Bobby Layne, who she had a crush on – from a distance – a crushingly heavy one. Her first sense of weakness in the knees, pining and obsession. She had learnt all his statistics and scores just in case she ever met him. She got nervous in anticipation of the meeting and imagined the panic that would lead her to vomit forth all these facts just to show her interest in him and the game.

She now felt a laughing sigh of relief, and an amazement that she still remembered some of those useless facts.

Other than that, that particular game just meant she had to pull a double shift: the hotel was filled to capacity.

Until.

The biggest until of her life, well almost.

Bobby Layne standing waiting for the elevator on the second floor. Lomita was pushing her trolley towards the elevator and this 6’ 4”, thick-haired blond, parted on the right, blue eyes, turned towards her and actually spoke.

‘Good evening to you my dear.’

Lomita was now laughing out loud in her room and felt like she felt then, consumed in a fit of giggles. That was all she could do then and all she was doing now.

She couldn’t speak, he too started laughing as he walked into the elevator with a –

‘Bye now.’

She blurted,

‘I like you.’

I like you, she thought, what a strange thing to say. But she said it to Bobby, a man she never knew. Bobby’s spell had been passed to her. When she arrived in room 412 for a turndown the Memorable Guest said,

‘Go ahead – I’m just leaving.’

Then at the door he turned to her and said,

‘With your beauty,’

He paused, took a breath and started again.