There was nothing abnormal about the day.

Slept great. Up on time. Left on time. Got to work on time.

Coffee was already made.

There were 28 messages when I hit the button.

Today though I had to call patio guests to cancel their reservations as rain was forecasted tonight.

I pick up the phone and it’s nothing but static.

Ugh.

I dial. I hear the person say hello. He can’t hear me.

I hang up. Call back. Same.

Three more times.

I give up and call our phone guy. On my cell.

Phone rings. I pick up. Static. I give up.

I do other things wondering how I’m going to let people know their reservations are going to be inside or cancelled.

About an hour later the phone rings. I ignore it. The machine picks up. The person leaves a message. I can hear the static. But also the person.

They hang up.

I pick up the phone. I dial.

Static.

But someone answers. They can hear me. I can hear them.

I make my phone calls. It’s annoying. But working.

I get through the reservations.

I start to call my voicemails.

The second lady has questions about the patio.

She asks them.

I answer the simple question.

She doesn’t understand.

She asks the same question a different way.

I answer.

She doesn’t understand.

I feel myself get cranky.

She asks another question.

I answer.

Short. And snarky.

Question.

Snarky answer.

We finish.

I hang up.

Make the next call.

All the while hating how I handled the last call. I leave a massage. Put the phone down.

Next call.

I get through them all.

All the while thinking about the patio phone call.

So I said fuck it.

Picked up the phone and called her back.

She answered and I explained who I was and said that I was calling to apologize for being short on the phone. She assured me that I was not and I said thank you but I wasn’t as nice as I like to be. We chatted for about five minutes. She appreciated the phone call.

I felt better.

All was good.

Except that she showed up at 7:00 without a reservation to sit on the patio.

That was closed.