A Good Dose Of Public Humiliation

With a short week, the weekend seemed to appear suddenly. The weather is hot and sultry, making mowing a miserable task. That being said, sitting here all day is boring. I think I might have dozed off for a full 10 minutes when the door flew open and the gentleman I had checked in earlier came in to enlighten me about wireless internet ......

Really, I don't care how it works, just that it works. He started to leave twice, opened the door, then came back to give me more advice. I have no idea what he said, I wasn't listening. My eyes were tracking the fly he let in. This new fly joined the old fly to annoy me and I was itching for him to go and leave me on a fly killing adventure.

The day had just begun when I noted that some children were on the porch. I had unlocked the door, but still had a few minutes before I was supposed to be open. A man came up to join the children and entered the store. He said he wanted to rent a tent site, so I grabbed a registration and laid it on the counter. This is when he told me they had already set up the tent. Taking this opportunity to educate the public at large, I informed him that check-in is not until AFTER NOON, since check-out is noon.

He said they could take down the tent and come back later. I asked how long he had been on the camp site and he told me they came in a 6:30 am. I had to bite my tongue before saying, "And here you are, already drinking." He reeked of alcohol and body odor. He told me it was him, his wife and two children, although I am pretty sure I saw three little heads. He handed me $22 and I gave him a receipt and he went on to embellish his tale of trying to give the children a nice camping adventure, even though he had "hurt his back" and was feeling bad. Maybe the alcohol was for medicinal purposes?

I lit a candle after he left to refresh the air. HeWho sometimes works here was out on a mission to procure a drill bit to drill out the lock on one of the coin-op washers. He had already replaced the lockset once, but lost the key. Now the box is too full of coins to operate properly. I don't think he has drilled it open yet and it is nearly 4:00. I can't say that he even purchased the drill bit, although he did stop at the bakery and get some fresh glazed donuts for his wife.

The donuts are long gone and I have just thought of the full coin box again. I did remember to ask if he had checked the drop box for after hour check-ins. This is when he told me that one of our campers who happened to be up late took note of a family setting up a tent. My ears perked up. No other tenters here except my early alcohol drinker and HE LIED TO ME!

The tent family was absent from the site when HeWho was dispatched to collect more money from the drinking dad who lies. I was biding my time watching to see when they would return. In the meantime, the phone rang at regular intervals. One call was from a man looking to tent camp next to his ex-wife and her family. I asked for a name, but already knew who he was referring to ..... since I had only one tent in the park. I am pretty smart like that.

This man, when asked how many people would be in his reservation, took the time to tell me the ages of all his children, ending with a 4 week old baby and asking if he had to pay for the baby as well. I was not in a happy frame of mind, having been lied to earlier by his ex-wife's husband, so I said yes.

I doubt they will be showing up. When the dad who drinks  and lies was confronted, he chose to break camp and leave, rather than pay for another night. He informed HeWho confronted him that he was "just trying to let my kids have a good time", that he is from Georgia and the game wardens don't act like this. Game warden? Are you hunting?

So, looks like drinking, lying dad makes a habit of over stepping boundaries, as far as truth is concerned.

Since my chair nap was interrupted, I meandered out to the pool to see that my posted rules are being blatantly disobeyed. Why is it that everyone thinks they are exceptions? Not only do I have the rules POSTED on a 4' X 8' sign, I tell people checking in what my expectations are. I do not slur my words and I do not need amplification to be heard. I speak slowly enough to be understood and I enunciate well. I even look you in the eye and ask you if you understand what I am saying.

So, don't act surprised when I catch you red-handed and publicly humiliate you!