"I need towels. This is unacceptable. You can't tell me there aren't any more towels in the entire hotel."

Miraculously, Minami was still standing at the desk this Saturday morning. It had been a long night, and Tomoko, my night auditor Sayaka, and I were all sitting down for once. Tomoko had been working with Sayaka last night, but Minami had come in this morning by being hilariously welcomed by my friends. They'd parted like the Red Sea for her, upon hearing she was my friend and on their side. 

But, she wasn't the only one they'd made way for. So many employees had left upon hearing that the police would not be called. In fact, our general manager had strongly suggested to the guests not to call the police on the hotel's behalf, that we were "handling it". The other employees wanted to know why, but all of the managers knew full well: he didn't want to be indicated for the crime of helping Matsuda-san. We'd gotten him, and he knew it. 

Therefore, we were short staffed and the police would not be coming. We were in it for the long haul, and I couldn't be happier about it. Why it wasn't yet a party in here, I had no idea. I suppose the closest to a party we could have were the employees sitting on every available seat in the lobby, lounging and talking and eating whatever had been in the kitchen. The lobby's TV was also tuned to a news network on full blast, which was unheard of. We were a non-political hotel, since we served guests from all over Asia. Well, we were political now.

Since the hotel was so well sound proofed, we only heard the faint melodies of music streaming in from outside from time to time, unless someone opened one of the doors. Then, we were hit full blast with screams, cheers, snippits of enraged speeches, and pandemonium. The crowd outside had grown to astronomical levels, coming in from the Tokyo metro and surrounding satellite towns. The amount of supporters the crowd outside had was overwhelming. And everyone in the hotel was overwhelmed by it. 

Minami bowed slightly to the guest currently raging at the desk. "Well, I'm sorry. We are currently short staffed. May I interest you in a mineral water while you wait? Towels should be sent up by this evening-" A lie. "-and we do apologize."

"I don't want mineral water! I want towels! God, this place! It's bad enough about what's happening outside! I have my elderly mother upstairs! She wants to take a bath! We already couldn't go to Shinjuku Gyoen today! It's supposed to look very pretty since it just snowed a few days ago! She was looking forward to it so much! But now because of- these- these people, we can't go! And now you're saying you don't even have towels! Well, we'll just leave! This is unacceptable!"

Tomoko stood up and appeared next to her friend, shoving her a little to get her to step aside. Minami was way too soft spoken and naturally kind for this. Minami bowed to the woman again in apology, true to form.

"Ma'am, why don't you go buy some towels?! What do you want us to do?! There's no towels! We already told you that several times! There aren't going to be any this morning or this evening! Our housekeeping staff is sitting right there! You're lucky we're talking to you! We have no obligations to!" She pointed at the housekeepers in their brown uniforms laying on one of the luxurious black leather couches drinking an expensive bottle of champagne together. Just her pointing was a flagrant breakage of the rules.

"Well, ask them to do their jobs! This is ridiculous! I'm paying over one hundred thousand yen per night for my room!" 

Tomoko broke into a smile as the woman about-faced and marched right over to the couches. Two of our maintenance staff were sitting there also, as well as a few waiters from the restaurant. They were all plainly identifiable by their uniforms. This woman was clearly outnumbered, but her resolve wouldn't let her see that. Her need to have and have more wouldn't allow her to stop.

She pointed at one of the maintenance workers, already her first mistake. Her other hand was on her hip. "Young man! I demand that my room has towels! What do you think you're doing? You need to work! You're here, so you need to work! Is this still Japan?! Am I expected to go without so that you can sit here and- and- Do your job!" 

"Fuck you, lady."

Minami's mouth was fully open, watching this. As if what was on the TV wasn't jaw dropping enough? We had full view of it. As a drag queen spun and danced on the TV to Donna Summer, the guest made to grab the champagne from one of the actual housekeepers. 

"Watch it, lady," he said, yanking it back. Some of it sloshed onto the expensive new carpet. "I'm not on the clock, either. We're all here, held up in this hotel just like you."

That really set her off. "Just like me?! You're not paying over one-hundred thousand yen per night! To not even have towels, and to see this! That's it, we're leaving. We're leaving!"

Next to me, my night auditor silently clapped her hands together slowly. Her big glasses were slipping down her nose, her smile so sneaky. There was no longer a need to be sneaky. Why not applaud this woman leaving? She might be leaving just like the many others we'd seen this morning. With no bellhops to help them, they'd been burdened with suitcases and bags, hurried things packed away in shopping totes and bags from stores. Every time one of them left, huge cheers would go up on the TV. Inside, I was cheering, too. The guest list on the computer couldn't tell us how many of them were left, since they weren't telling the desk who they were as they went, but it was obvious that the hotel was becoming more empty.

"I'm leaving! This is unacceptable!" The guest was practically shrieking. 

The first time I'd ever heard the term "Karen" was from Hiran at French Cup the first time I'd ever gone. That memory. Him leaning over with his hands at either side of his mouth, yelling "Bye, Karen!" And how true it was. Over this month, coming to know these people from the other side. How they were viewed. I'd grown up with so many of them. To know that the whole time, this sort of fussy, tantruming, upper class woman was so disgustedly hated by those that they treated wrongly. That they could rebel with this word, make fun of them with this word. It was just the best feeling.

To my delight, she went toward the doors. Her whole outfit was no doubt Burberry, their signature plaid all over her. The crowd outside would eat her alive. I leaned forward in my seat, unbridled joy in my eyes. Her manicured hands went for a set of doors, pushing them open, since there was no valet to do it for her. 

A wave of sound filled the atrium up to the very chandelier, coming in with the melody of a disco song. 

"FUCK THE PATRIARCHY! WOMEN DESERVE TO BE PAID THE SAME AS MEN! HOW COME IF I'VE GOT A PUSSY I GET PAID LESS?! LET'S ALL GET DICKS--"

My ears perked up. I knew that voice. "Colette?" I whispered happily to myself. It was beautiful. A witch making a speech about the patriarchy. Was she standing on top of the car? It sounded like she had the megaphone.

"Ugh!" The guest turned like she was being harassed, trying to slam the doors. They slowly went back into their places as if disrespecting her, too.

Two housekeepers shoved past her rudely at that moment, holding printed signs and opening the doors again. My smile widened as I realized the signs had been rainbows. As the doors opened, all we heard were Colette and the crowd, chanting.

"DICKS! DICKS! DICKS!"

There was no way I couldn't laugh.

"Are they shouting 'dicks'?" Tomoko asked, catching my laugh. Her hands went over her mouth in hers. Minami's own mouth was still open, probably her innocence being shattered.

The guest marched past the workers on the couches in a huff going for the grand staircase, no doubt determined. Hopefully she was determined to leave. The same housekeeper she'd basically assaulted threw his arms apart, more champagne going onto the carpet in this. 

"What?! You don't want to go outside?! But there might have been someone who gave a fuck about your towels out there!" He mock gasped. This caused the rest of the workers in the lobby to burst into laughter.

With the hardest, thinnest mouth I've ever seen, the woman trudged up the stairs like she hadn't heard and wasn't currently being led up there with a chorus of laughter.

This was the opportunity I'd been waiting for. Maybe waiting for my entire life. My hands framed my mouth as I stood up from my seat.

"BYE, KAREN!" I yelled. 

The renewed explosion of laughter around me was all the encouragement I needed. My hand was on my belly, curled over in my laughter as she hurried quicker up the stairs. Everyone was losing it. It might have been the greatest moment of my life.