Sunday, September 18, 2016

Crazy, Crazy

This past Monday I wrote about a client who kept changing her mind.  In June, she made reservations for me to stay at her house for 5 nights and 6 days.  When I called nine days ago to verify, she told me she didn't need me at all.  Twelve hours later, she called and said she needed me for the last three nights; eighteen hours after that call, she told me she needed me for the entire, original reservation.  When I arrived, the daughter had not returned from the airport - she had run a few personal errands before returning her Mom's car.  On Thursday, the client called me and asked to to find a Certified Mail slip, and to go to the Post Office to pick up whatever it was, and to also check her friend's mail box at a different address.  I picked up the Certified Mail and had to sign my life away, as it wasn't addressed to me, then I traveled to the other house and grabbed that mail.
  Friday, Bea and I rented a van and went shopping for a dining room set and/or a new sofa.  We found the dining set we wanted, and, as we were on the way to the warehouse to pick it up, my phone rang.  It was my client.  Her daughter had contacted her; the daughter and boyfriend were to have spent the weekend at Grandma's condo in Aspen.  When the daughter called the building to inform them she would be there for the weekend, the building manager told her the condo "was being shown" this weekend (for sale) and that they couldn't stay there.  Grandma has been threatening to sell the condo for the last 5 years, and apparently decided to do so without telling the kids or grandkids.  So the daughter would be back at the client's home that evening, and, once I had fed all the critters their evening meal, it was time for me to clear out.  And the daughter would pick the client up at the airport on Monday.
   At nine o'clock last night (Saturday) I received another call from the client.  She had decided to come home today - Sunday - and thought her daughter would pick her up.  But her daughter had already changed her plans, and was going hiking on Sunday (today).  Could I come pick her up at the airport?  I got the flight information, and told her I would be there.  Then I stated that her car was very low on gas - should I fill it, and have her reimburse me, or should I drive the VW?   She told me that her car should have at least a half-tank of gas - I told her that it was on the one-quarter mark when I parked it Thursday, after going to the Post Office.  She said to drive the VW.
   I checked this morning, and ascertained that her flight was on time, with arrival at DIA at 12:19.  Then I checked the Denver sports area, and found that the Rockies had a home game that started at 2:10, and the Bronco had a home game that started at 2:25.  I decided to leave a little early due to increased traffic; then realized I'd better drive the client's car rather than the VW, because the VW doesn't have a Toll Pass for the road to the airport.
   I caught what was supposed to be the 10:07 RTD bus up to the client's neighborhood to get her car.  The bus was running 12 minutes late because the rear door kept sticking open - and the driver kept opening both doors at each stop, instead of only opening the front door.  So I was late reaching the client's house (in my mind's time table) - and the daughter called while I was walking to the house from the bus stop.  She realized that the client's car was nearly empty, and she needed to drive over from Longmont to get the car and put gas in it, and then she would come pick me up - OK?  I said, No.  I was almost at the house, I'd put gas in the car, and go pick up her Mom.  When I told her to enjoy her hike, she sounded completely lost, like she hadn't planned to go hiking...  
   In any event, I made it to the airport with 5 minutes to spare and turned the car over to the client, who dropped me off at home, after she paid me....   Crazy, crazy weekend.  (Both the Rockies and the Broncos won, by the way.)

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