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Setting: YMCA pool. Pretty decent size. Staff door at one end (leads to lobby), locker-doors on one side, and a backdoor at the far end. (I should just start using pictures...)
Players:
1) Sunny: Yours truely. Sadly.
2) SC: Grumpy old lady. Surprise surprise.
Okay, so a...wow, three months ago? Time flies. Three months ago I was showed up for work at the usual 5:30AM. Sign in, grab the keys, take two steps into the pool area and stop. The air system is off, and it feels like it's been that way all night. This may not mean much, but it's usually ~100 degrees or so outside at that time of the year, and usually a few degrees hotter INSIDE.
And my air was turned off. D:
FINE. Good thing I can handle heat, right? Normally we throw open the backdoors for fresh air anyway, so I just went ahead and propped them both allll the way open. Move the Guard chair as close to the doors as I can, and good to go! Everything is hunky-dorey for, oh, and hour or so. Maybe less.
Then in walks a certain crazy old lady, our SC of the story. A brief explantion: She has been coming here for little periods of time over the last ten years or so. She's also one of those old people that feel that by BEING old, she has authority over everyone else that's not as old as she is.
Think you can see where this is going? Just wait. -.-
She comes in, heads to 'her' part of the pool which happens to be at the far end from me (and the doors, remember that), and starts her 'workout'. What with it still being really hot (read: 95+), I was up and pacing around the pool edge. Beat melting in one spot.
So at one point I walked past her area, and she motioned me over.
SC: "So why do you have the doors open?"
Me: <---still not suspecting anything "Beeecause it's hot and the air isn't working?"
SC: "Oh really? Not bothered by mosquitos, are you?"
Me: "...Well no, not really. Too much clorine in the air for the little buggers."
I give a shrug and start walking around again. After another circle or two, she motions me back over.
SC: "You /do/ know mosquitos could be carrying malaria or west nile, right?"
Me: "....I, uh, suppose they could? >.>?" (Last I checked, west nile was nowhere NEAR this part of the country, and is Malaria even present in North America?)
SC: "...But you're still going to keep those doors open?"
Me: "Well, yes. I seriously doubt there's any mosquitos with either of those nearby."
This pretty much went on for the next two days (luckly the air system was fixed that evening; But I habitually kept at least one door open) in much the same vein. (SC: "*Same drivel about disese carrying mosquitos*" Me: "And a circius train could have a train wreck just outside and I could have lions and tigers and bears, OH MY. :|")
Well she started getting more and more pushy about it, to which I kept responding with "Lady, none of the bugs that make it in can even SMELL you over the water and the clorine and other chemicals." Finally one day she started in with the "I have learned that I have the right to ask that the doors be closed, and that's what I'm doing."
Me: "And I have the right to decline to do so on account that I'm hot and I like the fresh air. :|"
SC: "You're supposed to do what the patrons ask, and I'm a patron, and I am /asking/ that you close those doors!"
Me: O.o? "Actually, if you actually read the rule sheet, you'll notice that the lifeguard, and I quote, 'has final authority i---*"
This was about the point that she snapped, and it occured to me that she had to be crazy.
SC: "You don't have final authority! Your BOSS has more authority, and the BOARD OF DIRECTORS had more authority, and *stabs at the sky* GOD HAS MORE AUTHORITY!"
Me: o.o "....Now see-"
SC: *not going to stop her rant, ooohh no.* "This orgnization was founded by Christan people with a Christian attuidie and I don't think you're acting very Christian-like and more like a HEATHEN*"
This was where her ranting stopped being coherent. She went on for a good five mins total before storming off and out of the pool area. Luckily, the only other people in there at the time had eyes about as big as I did! I mean, I've been called alot of things while on duty, but a heathen? >.>
Flash forward to the next day: I get word from my supervisor and ceo that APPARENTLY miss SC had somehow gotten the phone numbers of the /entire/ board of directors; and had spent most of that evening calling them at their homes. We had a quick discussion, and decided that while all three of us were of the view that I was actually completely in my right to not have to close the silly doors (and that SC should /probably/ be kicked out or something), we figured it would be less headaches all around if I just go ahead and simply avoid the maniac for awhile.
Luckily, she seems to have vanished about a month or more ago, and haven't had to deal with her since. I have no doubt she'll be back at the worst moment, but oh well. On another note, by all accounts she is legally Bi-Polar, and (unsurpsingly) refuses to take her meds for it. So, um, yeah. >.>
Players:
1) Sunny: Yours truely. Sadly.
2) SC: Grumpy old lady. Surprise surprise.
Okay, so a...wow, three months ago? Time flies. Three months ago I was showed up for work at the usual 5:30AM. Sign in, grab the keys, take two steps into the pool area and stop. The air system is off, and it feels like it's been that way all night. This may not mean much, but it's usually ~100 degrees or so outside at that time of the year, and usually a few degrees hotter INSIDE.
And my air was turned off. D:
FINE. Good thing I can handle heat, right? Normally we throw open the backdoors for fresh air anyway, so I just went ahead and propped them both allll the way open. Move the Guard chair as close to the doors as I can, and good to go! Everything is hunky-dorey for, oh, and hour or so. Maybe less.
Then in walks a certain crazy old lady, our SC of the story. A brief explantion: She has been coming here for little periods of time over the last ten years or so. She's also one of those old people that feel that by BEING old, she has authority over everyone else that's not as old as she is.
Think you can see where this is going? Just wait. -.-
She comes in, heads to 'her' part of the pool which happens to be at the far end from me (and the doors, remember that), and starts her 'workout'. What with it still being really hot (read: 95+), I was up and pacing around the pool edge. Beat melting in one spot.
So at one point I walked past her area, and she motioned me over.
SC: "So why do you have the doors open?"
Me: <---still not suspecting anything "Beeecause it's hot and the air isn't working?"
SC: "Oh really? Not bothered by mosquitos, are you?"
Me: "...Well no, not really. Too much clorine in the air for the little buggers."
I give a shrug and start walking around again. After another circle or two, she motions me back over.
SC: "You /do/ know mosquitos could be carrying malaria or west nile, right?"
Me: "....I, uh, suppose they could? >.>?" (Last I checked, west nile was nowhere NEAR this part of the country, and is Malaria even present in North America?)
SC: "...But you're still going to keep those doors open?"
Me: "Well, yes. I seriously doubt there's any mosquitos with either of those nearby."
This pretty much went on for the next two days (luckly the air system was fixed that evening; But I habitually kept at least one door open) in much the same vein. (SC: "*Same drivel about disese carrying mosquitos*" Me: "And a circius train could have a train wreck just outside and I could have lions and tigers and bears, OH MY. :|")
Well she started getting more and more pushy about it, to which I kept responding with "Lady, none of the bugs that make it in can even SMELL you over the water and the clorine and other chemicals." Finally one day she started in with the "I have learned that I have the right to ask that the doors be closed, and that's what I'm doing."
Me: "And I have the right to decline to do so on account that I'm hot and I like the fresh air. :|"
SC: "You're supposed to do what the patrons ask, and I'm a patron, and I am /asking/ that you close those doors!"
Me: O.o? "Actually, if you actually read the rule sheet, you'll notice that the lifeguard, and I quote, 'has final authority i---*"
This was about the point that she snapped, and it occured to me that she had to be crazy.
SC: "You don't have final authority! Your BOSS has more authority, and the BOARD OF DIRECTORS had more authority, and *stabs at the sky* GOD HAS MORE AUTHORITY!"
Me: o.o "....Now see-"
SC: *not going to stop her rant, ooohh no.* "This orgnization was founded by Christan people with a Christian attuidie and I don't think you're acting very Christian-like and more like a HEATHEN*"
This was where her ranting stopped being coherent. She went on for a good five mins total before storming off and out of the pool area. Luckily, the only other people in there at the time had eyes about as big as I did! I mean, I've been called alot of things while on duty, but a heathen? >.>
Flash forward to the next day: I get word from my supervisor and ceo that APPARENTLY miss SC had somehow gotten the phone numbers of the /entire/ board of directors; and had spent most of that evening calling them at their homes. We had a quick discussion, and decided that while all three of us were of the view that I was actually completely in my right to not have to close the silly doors (and that SC should /probably/ be kicked out or something), we figured it would be less headaches all around if I just go ahead and simply avoid the maniac for awhile.
Luckily, she seems to have vanished about a month or more ago, and haven't had to deal with her since. I have no doubt she'll be back at the worst moment, but oh well. On another note, by all accounts she is legally Bi-Polar, and (unsurpsingly) refuses to take her meds for it. So, um, yeah. >.>
I write, my friend Red draws. Comments welcome. Leave them on their, or on my profile here. 
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