What now?

[fbhjr]

I just got an email from a guy saying “I’m getting married in the place
you’re having your anniversary the following day. Can you set up the
tables where I want them before you leave your party?”

I remember the day my wife and I got married.
We had rented a castle. ( www.hammondcastle.org )
The castle was also a museum.
We rented it from noon until 7 and that had cost us $3000 twenty years ago.

The day of the wedding, I got there at about 11 in the morning. I knew I
was early, but had no place else to be.
As I got out of my car, a tour bus pulled up and a whole lot of people got
out and headed into the museum.

I went down to the entrance and watched them all trooping in.
The museum director and event manager were standing there by the entrance.

“Tour bus? Really?” I asked.
“They’ll be out by noon,” the director told me.
“Tour bus?” I repeated.
“Don’t worry, we’ll take care of it.”

I waited. I was assigned one of the non-public rooms for changing and
stuff, so went off there and started to get ready.
I wandered around. Took some photos. Visited the gift store. Borrowed
the phone to check on the caterer.
At 11:45 I went back to the entrance. The bus was still in the parking
lot. It was not full.
“Fifteen minutes,” I said to the director, holding up the special watch I
had bought to make sure everything ran on time that day.
“Don’t worry,” he repeated.

At ten before noon, they began asking people to leave. As I stood outside
I watched a bus load of people come out and get on their bus.
At five of, I went back to the director.
“Is it clear?”
“Not yet. We’re still encouraging one person.”

As I started walking back to my car to get things I saw the event manager
leading a woman out of the museum.
“I don’t see why I have to leave,” the woman said. “Your hours are posted
as eleven to four. It is not yet noon, I should have four more hours!”
“Ma’am when you came in we told you we had a special event starting at noon
and were closing for the day at that time,” the event manager said.
“Well, that’s not my problem. I paid to get into this museum and I want to
see it all!”
I walked up to her.
“I paid $3000, what about you?” I asked.
She stared at me with a less than friendly look.
“Museum is all yours,” the event manager told me.
The woman continued to protest until the event manager brought her to the
bus and it drove away. Maybe she still protested after that, I don’t know.


So, I don’t want to be that person who won’t get out when you should.
But, we also paid in advance for this party. So, we’re in both shoes of
this.

Comments

[brickhousewench.livejournal.com]

I think it's kinda nervy for someone to ask you to set up for THEIR party for them! Sheesh!

[cissa.livejournal.com]

A blank stare, and then "And WHY would I do this for you? What are you going to do for me?"