one hour

worked at the pool today.
i was up at the front desk talking to clement when this (india) indian comes in.
he's a usual. there almost everyday.
but he's kinda a buzzkill.
he's the guy that always tells me i should stop playing with the kids.
i can see it with kickball, cuz the ball really doesn't go in any sort of predicted pattern.
but about a week ago i was playing catch with a kid with a small, rubber football. he was in the pool, i was on the deck.
it was rare that either of us missed a throw, but the guy still warned us that we shouldn't throw the ball around. "it might hit someone."
yeah right. we'd stop throwing and wait until the person was out of the way.
he's just a killjoy.
i didn't figure out how much until today.

so today.
as i already told you, i was talking to clement by the front door.
so the indian guy comes in chewing on something.
looked sandwich-y.
so i just quip, "you're eating. now you can't swim for an hour."

the guy takes a few steps, turns and says:

"i came here to swim, why would you tell me that?"

"it was just a joke."

he walks off and goes into the locker room. with only enough time to probably put down his stuff, he comes back out:

"what did you tell me? that i shouldn't swim for an hour. that's not funny at all. how is that funny?"

"well i guess it's not."

so the guy went in did his thing, and went to the hot tub.
a bit later i went out to check on things.
i was going to unlock the door to the sauna like i usually do around that time,
and here comes the guy again!
he was in the hot tub, but he got out to confront me when i was minding my own business.

"i came here to relax, so i don't want any grief from you."

now, the guy is indian, as i have mentioned, so i give him the benefit of the doubt. maybe he hadn't heard of the wives' tale:
"don't swim for an hour after you eat."

so i try to ask him, "haven't you ever heard of the saying...."

"i don't want to hear it! now leave me alone or i'll fill out a complaint about you."

"fill out a complaint?! FINE. GO AHEAD!! fill one out NOW."

"I WILL.... tomorrow..."

and with that we parted ways.
him with his stick up his ass, and me with my newly-resurrected bitterness toward the world.

i still think he's never heard the saying. and that's fine.
but i do think he's a total asshole for not even hearing me out.
something that was a total misunderstanding turned rotten just because someone refused to listen.

talk about a cultural clash. and a blatant case of bigotry.
show a little bit of fucking understanding.
and if you have heard the saying, then seriously, FUCK YOU, ASSHOLE.
if you came to relax, you're sure going about it the wrong way.
you should either let a JOKE slide off your back, or maybe go find a fucking hole to shelter yourself from the hideously cheerful world around you.

three times to confront me with something that was in no way offensive is a bit obsessive. he seriously does need to relax.

he stayed til closing and i thought we were going to have another encounter when i was putting on the tarps. but luckily he got out just as i was putting the one on in his lane.
it was past 9:30 so it was time for him to get his ass out.
luckily there was an older guy helping me put the tarps on too, so he would have had to bitch us both out.
i'm lucky he was there tonight.