Turbulence

The plane dropped about a thousand feet, leaving my stomach in my throat. This was nothing compared to the gnawing in my gut when I saw the picket line outside of my hotel. The gnawing, like a giant herd of venomous sewer rats fighting for a discarded apple core. A few big rats fighting for the apple cart, and a lot of little rats, fighting for the cores.

I'm not taking sides. The rats don't care who cut the apple, they're just hungry and nothing can stop them once they've started a feeding frenzy. Still one fact sticks out like a swollen incisor. These services workers on strike would have to give up a weeks pay and maybe sell a kidney to stay one night in this hotel. Hell, my two night business stay, with a couple of meals cost almost as much as my mortgage for a month.

I'm not a squeamish man, but it all seemed like it could turn very ugly in a hurry. Two warring factions of rats. One locked out, the other held hostage. Any minute the locked out rats could rush the line and scurry across the granite floor. I could see the top rat sipping a purple tequila martini out of a Chihuly shot glass, while his cohorts climb the oak paneled walls and jump the chef for Kobe beef, and the combination to the apple cart. Sneaky SOB's, they'll probably turn it all in to apple sauce and flush it down the toilet.

Those rats will eat like kings tonight. How about you?

Comments

[debby]

After last night just wanna go to sleep...maybe a bowl of Rice Krispies..

[Nancy]

Lean Cuisine from the microwave at work.
So ... do tell .... did you pass through the line? or change hotels?/ Inquiring minds want to know!

[Gary]

This is my response to the comment below:

The hotel was being paid for by the client of my boss. We actually had to switch where we did our job because other unions would not cross the line. I had to, or pay for a hotel on my own. Not only that, but there was a huge convention in town and there were no rooms to be had, except in other hotels that were being picketed. I cringed every time I walked past those strikers. I just wanted to let them know that I was on their side, but I would have felt too hypocritical. It pains me every time I see a worker getting the short end. I've been there. But I also have seen labor unions wield power, and take money out of my pocket. So like I said, I'm not taking sides. Io just hate it when it comes to a strike.

Can't everybody just get along? … at least until I'm out of town.