Thursday, May 21, 2009

The Calendar is a Liar

I am standing in a Rossman store, like a drugstore without drugs, trying to remember what motivated me to enter to begin with. I know I had something in mind when I walked through the door. My mobile phone rings. Unknown caller. "Hi, do you have a room available?" is what I am greeted with. Instead of saying "How did you get this number, I respond instinctively with how many nights?" Phone reservation request, autopilot response system, but then my surrounding come out of the fog and I realize none of this matters. The calendar is home and I am not. I ask him to call me back at 4:00 so I can continue to peruse the aisles to jog my memory of what I needed and then run to buy bread. At 3:50, in front of the elevator door in our building, the mobile signals a call. "Yes, hi, I called you about a room." I would have placed money on the fact I would never hear from him again and would have lost. "Okay, listen, I am standing at the elevator and need to get upstairs, unlock the door, throw the bags somewhere and run to the calendar. Give me five minutes." The guy must not have a working watch. He gave me three, but I was faster. "Okay, when did you need the room for?" "Tonight and for two more nights." "Sorry, I am full tonight, but I can give the room for the 23rd and 24th." "But I need it for the 22nd and 23rd." "Today's the 22nd and I am full." "No, today is the 21st." As I am sitting at my computer desk with the Google calendar in front of me and my Page-A-Day Booklovers Calendar sitting to the right of my mouse, I keep seeing the 22nd, so I insist it is the 22nd. In the background of the call, I hear a heavily accented voice saying today is the 21st. "Look, I am staring at two calendars and both of them say that today is the 22nd." "Well I am at the TourInform office and the man here says today is Thursday, May 21st." My mind jumbles as it has another meltdown. Why is he calling me from the TourInform office. Did they suggest us or did he wander in needing a phone. As I stare at the Google calendar on the monitor, reality sets in that looking at a full month calendar expecting it to tell you the day is like looking up a word in a dictionary that you have no clue how to spell. Someone at Google must have had this experience once. The curreent day is colored yellow, but for my instistance, I am colorblind. Finally, I concede the day. Ron has only been gone 30 hours? I could sworn it has been two weeks already. No wonder I have not heard from him yet. "Okay, you can have the room for Friday and Saturday night, but you have to come over early. I have an acupuncture appointment in the morning." "I can be there by 9:30." "I have to leave here by 9:30." "Well, I guess I can set my alarm and be there by 9:00." He was ready to end the conversation with this person whose reality seemed to be in the Twilight Zone, but I insisted on giving him the address. He mispronounced the name of the street three times. I wonder if he will ever show tomorrow.

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