Chapter 4
By the time I arrived in Asheville, it was already midnight. Recently, it was peak tourist season, and all the nearby hotels were fully booked. After searching around, the only available option was a hostel, but it was just a spot in the common room for backpackers to sleep overnight.
Well, I thou
for now o
I’ll just find a place to sleep figure things out tomorrow.
The hostel had self–check–in. I opened the door with the address and password from the booking message. It wasn’t very big- two floors. The upper floor had four rooms: two for men and two for women, with one room for six people. The lower floor had a common room and a few shared spaces like a kitchen.
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I entered the door and found the common room empty, though I could vaguely hear laughter and voices coming from upstairs. The sofa was big enough, and I was tired and had no luggage. So, I didn’t bother to freshen up and simply lay down on the couch, fully clothed, and fell asleep.
Oddly enough, I often suffered from insomnia at home and would frequently have nightmares when I did sleep. But I never expected to sleep so well in this unfamiliar place on an unfamiliar bed.
I slept soundly, and when I woke up, it was already 6 AM.
The upstairs was quiet, likely because no one had gotten up yet.
I couldn’t sleep anymore, so I got up and
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poured myself a glass of water. As I turned around, I noticed a man sitting at the dining table by the door.
He looked familiar, but I couldn’t immediately place where I had seen him before.
When he saw me looking at him, he smiled and greeted me.
“Hello, I’m place.”
he “cola. I’m the owner of this
“Ah, hello, I’m Amelia,” I said, nodding.
He looked gentle, and the early morning sun shining on his face made his features appear softer.
“Hello, Amelia. You haven’t checked in yet, right?”
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“Yes, when I arrived yesterday, the customer service said I could stay for the night and check in when the staff came in.”
Nicola smiled. “The volunteers went out to play and haven’t come back yet, and I’m still in City A, not back yet.”
“I’ll help you check in now,” he said.
I nodded. “Okay.”
After
Coping the check–in, I poured
I
myself a cup of hot water and sat on the sofa, looking around. I hadn’t paid attention the night before, being so tired that I just collapsed into bed.
There were a lot of things around, though it wasn’t messy–just a cozy and functional setup. In the corner of the living room, there were several suitcases scattered about.
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The dining table was large with many power strips, all plugged in and filled to the brim.
“Nicola, why did you decide to open a hostel?” I asked, feeling curious. There was nothing to do at the moment, and since Nicola seemed free too, I decided to strike up a casual conversation.
“I went backpacking when I was in school more than
ten years ago, and back then, I stayed in hostels. As I grew older, I thought it would be nice to run a place like that, where I could welcome people like the younger me. So when I had some extra money, I opened this one here,” Nicola explained. He handed. me a cup of freshly ground coffee. “Just made it. Try it.”
I took the cup. “Thank you.”
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Chapter 4
The coffee smelled amazing, and there was a sun–shaped pattern in the foam. It was clear Nicola was attentive and romantic.
“Did you go out on business yesterday?” I asked, recalling that Nicola had said he was still in City A the day before. I found it strange–while this was a hostel, with no staff around, it felt a little too casual.
“You and the staff weren’t here. Isn’t that too risky? What if something happens?” I asked.
Nicola suddenly laughed. “I was working yesterday. Today is my day off, so I flew here.”
“Working?” I must have looked like a deer caught in headlights. “You were working?”
“Yep, working,” Nicola said with a grin, his eyes narrowing into slits. “I have my own job.
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This place is mostly run by volunteers. They don’t get paid, just get free accommodation in exchange.”
He really was a genius.
I thought to myself, balancing a full–time job and running a hostel, with volunteers as staff. This truly seemed like a no–risk, high–reward business.
“Aren’t you worried something might go wrong?” I asked, taking a sip of the coffee.
“If something goes wrong, we’ll just solve it. But it usually doesn’t get too out of hand,” Nicola said, leaning back against the sofa. “I only take guests under 30 here. Most people of that age choose to stay in hostels for three reasons.”
“First, students on backpacking trips during
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holidays–generally, they’re pure–hearted and have no ill intentions. Second, people who’ve started working–those who stay here usually don’t like the monotony of life and want to meet new people and experience new things. They tend not to cause any problems. Lastly, people who are struggling with work and can’t afford a nice hotel, so they stay here temporarily while looking for a job. These people usually don’t have bad intentions because they’re all in the same boat. Sure, there are some who might try to take advantage, but that’s rare. If it does happen and it’s not caught in time, we just have to accept it.”
Nicola spoke quickly and without hesitation, then took another sip of coffee.
“We have to believe that there are more good people in the world than bad,” he added.
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I found myself lost in thought.
Are there more good people in the world?
Then what about the people around me?
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