First Draft:
“R is a sweet young man. He arrived two hours before our agreed upon check in time, while we were still preparing the space. He sat down at our dinner table, so we shared our meal with him and had an interesting conversation about the differences between the Brazilian and American justice systems. He seemed to have trouble with reading timetables.”
…ahhhhh…
Ladies and gents, I know that last sentence needs work, but how do i express his general bewilderment with the world?
I wouldn’t have let him in, but I thought it was a box from Amazon (husband is on point when it comes to ordering me Xmas presents. 17 years of marriage will wear down the worst procrastinator) so I told the 9 yr old to answer the door since I was literally hauling the space heater down to make sure the porch was warm enough before the guest arrived at 3. But no, he was standing in my porch at 12:45 with 2 huge(!) suitcases explaining, in a genuinely surprised and befuddled way, that the hotel told him he had to be out by noon.
I was very relieved I had already sorted out the porch, so I could let him come in (note: I’ve added the “early/ late check in is available at a price” language to my house rules, but he booked before I added it)… And since he was happy once he had the wifi password, I left him to it.
I started cooking dinner at 5:15. About 5 minutes later he wandered in and sat down at the dining table… (in myyyyy seat) … at 5:55, he was still just sitting there, so i added a can of corn to the pot and asked him if he had dinner plans?
He said no.
… so I invited him to join us.
I don’t kick puppies and i don’t kick hungry people away from my dining table, but… I don’t include photos of the living room in the porch listing. They are my bargain guests and get a bed and a towel and bathroom access, and if they’re very nice the microwave.
He had originally said he was coming at 5, but it turned out he was confused and needed to come at 3. He also said he would be leaving at 5 am originally, but it turned out he was wrong about his flight and he’d be leaving closer to 9 am. All of which was fine, but I think future hosts might like a gentle warning.
I think I recommend him, because he was befuddled but not mean or greedy. He came with an older family friend, who had checked out the day before, and I think maybe this was the first time he had ever shifted for himself and expected everyone (hotels, too) to mother him.
I didn’t ask, but since he could afford to come to the US for a week-long seminar with his family friend the judge, I’m assuming he’s closer to the 1% than the 99%. (My main knowledge about Brazil is that they have a huge gap between the haves and have nots. I know you shouldn’t judge people by their luggage, but I’m guessing he’s a have.)
… All of which does not need to go into the review, but I thought you’d be entertained by the character portrait…
But what would help you as a host?
(He’s already written me a review, so there’s no reason for me to hold off. If he doesn’t give me 5 stars I will respond publicly. Dammit.)
Sitting at your table was … beyond rude. As for assuming he is befuddled…is he?? Or is he manipulative… don’t care what country you are from and what your cultural mores are…I mean how ignorant can you be??
