Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Unhappy People Everywhere.


On vacation last week:

I was at an inflatable water slide -the Hippo Water Slide - at the condo. My daughter and son were with me, and although we were close to the front of the line, we had been down it many times already.

At the moment in time, there were some dark clouds and there was some distant thunder. However, all swimming pools and the slide were still open at the discretion of the supervisors in the area. I felt it was safe, or otherwise, I'd have headed indoors with my kids. There were a couple other parents in line with their children, too.

One particular woman, who looked to be in her mid-30's, decided to take it upon herself to voice her weather-related concerns to "Carmelo," the attendant at the bottom of the slide.

At first, I thought she was making a joke, as there were 40+ people in line. It came across like she was simply jesting so she could skip to the front of the line. Carmelo thought so too, and in turning to face her, his water hose sprayed water in her direction before he could shut it off.

Note: He was doing his job by using the hose to wash sand off the riders before they got on the slide. Also, a layer of water on the back of the participant makes the slide much more comfortable and enjoyable. It is a water slide, after all.

Evidently, a few drops of water reached the angry woman (who nobody thought was angry at the time).

She went ballistic.

She began yelling at poor Carmelo, asking him if he knew how many "f---ing kids die every year by getting hit by f---ing lightning?!?!?" The irony that she began using such foul language in front of no fewer than 30 kids at that moment was not lost on me. Nor Carmelo. She swore some more at him, and yelled that she would be reporting him to a supervisor.

Then she realized that in her rage, she had until this point, failed to recognize that there were more than half a dozen parents present, too. "If you people want your children killed by lightning, then so be it!" And with that, she walked away.

I made sure to speak with a supervisor later and give props to Carmelo for handling things correctly. The supervisor was thankful, and had also noted the woman smelled of alcohol.


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