Blog Post Four

Image is stock-photo of a “haunted house”

Haunted Staycation!

Every couple of weeks, my mother encourages me to take some me time. "Go to a hotel for the weekend," "go to the movies, see what's playing,” in recent years my mom has been advocating for me to take this me time on a monthly bases. As a single mother herself who raised two daughters, she understands how important it is to have a life outside of being a mother. I remember as a kid once a week for at least 2 or 3 years my mom was part of a bowling league. Mind you this was in the 90’s so those sitcoms were pretty on point with the bowling alley skits. She and her league would compete in bowling tournaments, I remember one year, on a competition night. She didn’t have anyone to watch me and my sister so we went with her to the tournament. It was pretty exciting being there watching the competition, it's a very pleasant core memory.

When I became an adult and had children of my own, I immediately understood how important it is to not lose yourself in motherhood. Which is so easy to do; by the way; motherhood is a thankless, high-demanding, emotionally taxing, and financially absorbent job. Setting aside time to be Dominique, not mom, not employee, not daughter or sister, just Dominique, is one of the best forms of self-care I can think of. I told my daughter recently during some conversation we were having that "I had a whole life before I had you." I often think, as mothers we forget that we are people too, with needs and wants of our own that need attention.

So one Sunday afternoon, my friend texted, "Hey, what are you doing?" I responded, "I'm about to get off of work." She replied, "Great me too, want to go get a hotel?" I said, “ HELL YEAH!!!.” So we immediately started looking on Airbnb for a place to go for the night. I told her I wanted a place with a hot tub. That was my only requirement. I don't care how far it is since I’m the one driving. She's more of a passenger princess who doesn't like to go more than 15 mins away from home. Me, I’m more of a back-road Betty. I’ll drive pretty much anywhere distance doesn’t really matter to me, my only concern is the time and planning to get there; 2 hours? 4 hours? As long as there is a plan, I'm down. As we are scouring the interweb I find a motel, Airbnb was a bust. The Jefferson Hills Motel, is located in you guessed it! Jefferson Hills PA, just a few miles from Southland shopping plaza, which is just a mile away from Century 3 shopping district.

Now upon discovering this motel, in the description on the motel site, it said that the hotel has been known to be haunted with guests reporting to have heard footsteps, or talking in areas where there were no people. The site also said that the previous owner had acquired the motel in the 60’s and was renovating when he died at the motel from natural causes. At the time of writing this article, this information is no longer on the website. I wish I would have taken a picture of the description so I could show it to you guys. When my friend and I went to this motel, it was about 3 or 4 months ago around the middle of December. After reading this description to her over the phone, I told her, “This sounds like a horror movie where the black people die first and since we’re both black it ain’t about to be me NO MA’AM! ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! GET SOMEBODY ELSE TO DO IT!” She was hella intrigued, I was hella terrified, “this is something that our skin folk don’t do” I said. Her thoughts on the matter were to just go and upon arriving saging the room, I told her “ that's your Caucasian side talking; I don’t mess with spirits I don’t fk with anything I can’t see or can't protect myself from.” She was very excited and insisted that everything was going to be fine, she'll sage the room, clear out negative energy and so forth.

So BOOM fast forward two hours later, we’re in walmart getting supplies she’s getting her sage, I grabbed an Archangel Michael candle for protection, and we on our way to the motel. When we initially booked the room it was advertised as the honeymoon suite and is the only room with an actual hot tub, not a bathtub with jets in it, an actual hot tub. We both figured if anyone asked we’d just say we were on our honeymoon, who finna check me boo lol.

As I'm driving down Highway 51 and we’re getting closer to the motel, I look up and see the motel sign, off the highway. Now when I tell you that sign was giving Bates Motel, I'm so serious. When I say that fiction becomes reality! When we drove up the hillside into the lot and just paused, the overall look of the motel was like stepping into a time machine during the 70’s. At one point, I could have sworn Norman Bates was about to pop out with a butcher knife. We’re just sitting there in the car at the entrance to the motel, I’m looking at her, she's looking at me, she’s smiling, I’m like I’m too young to die.

We unload the car and walk into the tiny little corner office to check in. The guy looks us up and down and hands us our keys. He explains that the room is the only room completely separated from the rest of the motel with its own set of stairs and two doors. It's located directly next to the office. We unlock the main door and go down a flight of stairs. At the end of the stairs is the door to our room and a back door. We go in and put our stuff down; she immediately starts saging the room, I lite the Archangel Michael candle and said a prayer. Afterwards, we change into our swimsuits; I pop an adult gummie in my mouth, she hits her chill vape and hop into the hot tub. Everything was pretty chill and relaxing as the night went on. We were just bobbing along like two buoys out to sea, at some point she gets up and goes to the bathroom and I swear I heard footsteps on the stairs.

Mind you, I’m thinking not once did I hear the main door open and you have to have a key to open it. So now my blood pressure is as high as I am, she comes back and I don’t want to freak her out, but knowing her, she'd probably be excited, so I just played it off and ignored the fact that Casper was out there in the stairwell.

Some time goes by and we're still sitting in the hot tub just talking and enjoying ourselves, and she says to me “ the lights behind you are flickering,” to which I said “this motel is older than my mother I’m sure they just need new light fixtures no big deal.” That's what my mouth said now my inner voice said “ I KNOW YOU FKN LYIN! If one more thing happens I’m out of here faster than a husband caught in a whorehouse!”

Needless to say, the rest of the night went smoothly— no more feet going up and down the stairs, no chains rattling, no chairs levitating. We checked out in the morning all in one piece, then went to breakfast at a nearby Denny's restaurant. Afterwards, we both went back to our respective homes to be mothers, employees and all the many other hats we wear. This was by far the most eventful staycation I had ever been on, and I hope to never have this experience again, NO MA”AM NO HAM NO TURKEY!! 🤣 🤣🤣

Haunted Staycation!

Blog Post Five

Blog Post Three