Double Trouble
Sometimes in my life running an inn, I find myself right smack in the middle of very personal situations. I honestly don’t always know what the right thing to do is, and sometimes I make the wrong choice. I still wonder sometimes if I made the right—or wrong—one in this story….
When I first met Kathy and Gary, I was so impressed by them. They arrived at their check-in on their bicycles—a first for me. I figured they must have done the local bike trails before checking in, so asked where they had parked their car. It turned out they had just ridden their bicycles from Washington, DC to Rehoboth Beach for a sponsored charity event. I thought that was really cool. They were booked to stay five nights and I looked forward to getting to know them.
Kathy and Gary each brought only a small bag for their five-night stay. After I checked them in, they mentioned they had dinner plans. An hour later they came downstairs, dressed to impress. They wore beautiful high-end clothing and jewelry, and Kathy had her hair all done up. They both looked elegant and polished. The tired, sweaty bikers turned out to be so sexy! How did they pull this all off after a long bike ride and with only the contents of a small bag?! I was blown away.
After a couple days of interacting, I was beginning to feel close to them. They were both beautiful people, and deeply in love. They made good money, and they did a lot with many different charities. They had a beautiful family and home, and everything seemed to be picture perfect. At the end of their stay their son picked up them and their bikes; when they left, I was sad. I immediately began to miss them. However, I didn’t have to wait too long to reconnect.
A few weeks later, I saw Gary’s name appear on the reservation list. I was excited to see they were coming back. The surprise came when Gary appeared for breakfast with a woman I had not met before. He introduced her as a co-worker and asked if she could join him at breakfast. I had no problem with that and served them both.
Every couple of weeks Gary would make another reservation, and in the morning I would meet another female co-worker. I had some suspicions, but it wasn’t my business to question people’s personal lives and relationships.
A year or so later, a new reservation came in, this time with Gary and Kathy’s name on it. Before their arrival I got a frantic phone call from Gary; he asked me not to tell Kathy about his visits to the guest house. I agreed not to say anything, and I didn’t.
Another year later Gary’s name was again on my list of arriving guests. It was always nice to see him and meet his friends. He checked in early and went off to do his thing.
Later that same day, another of my guests arrived. I went out to meet their car, and to my surprise, there was Kathy sitting in the passenger seat. Kathy’s girlfriend had booked; they wanted a couple of beach days while their husbands were away. In my gut, I felt something really bad was about to happen. I didn’t know what to do or say, so I chose to stay out of it and said nothing to anyone.
It didn’t take long for the inevitable to happen. That night Kathy and her friend were having some wine and relaxing on the front porch when an Uber pulled up out front, and out popped Gary. He opened the passenger door for a woman, took her by the hand, and kissed her. Then he turned around to lead her into the guest house, only to find Kathy sitting right there on the porch, stunned.
Within seconds we had a live version of the Jerry Springer show happening right on the front porch. At some point during the screaming, fighting, and hysteria, Gary’s girlfriend called herself an Uber and escaped. After calls to the police from concerned witnesses, Gary got in his car and left. Kathy stayed behind, sobbing.
She was in shock, and I wanted to comfort her, but I felt a strong sense of guilt. She asked me if I had known he was at the guest house, and in total panic mode I lied and said no. He called me and asked why—if I had known she was staying there—I didn’t call and warn him? I told him—truthfully—that I hadn’t known she was coming; the reservation wasn’t in her name.
Eventually, it all resulted in a pretty bitter divorce.
Despite all that, occasionally they both continue to stay at the guest house, and I am still always very happy to see them. I hear both sides, and just try to listen and be supportive.
To this day, I really don’t know if I did the right thing. Was my decision to stay out of it good or bad? Could I have done anything to prevent what ended up happening right in front of me?
All I know for sure is that the whole sorry situation made for a great story. ▼
Tom Kelch is the innkeeper and property manager of the Rehoboth Guest House.