As I walked to the hotel entrance, I passed a people carrier emptying its load of disgruntled parents, grumpy children and assorted luggage into the car park. I shivered and thanked the Lord that that wasn't my life.
"You have a room for me" said I to receptionist.
"I do sir, but you have reserved a double room" said receptionist. "Wouldn't a twin be better?"
"No thanks, I'd like a double bed please"
"But surely twin beds would be more appropriate?"
"There's not enough room in a single bed, though, is there?" said I.
"Can I just ask", said receptionist, sheepishly, "where the young lady will be sleeping?". He pointed at the seven year old girl that I hadn't seen standing next me.
"She's not with me!" I said, stunned.
"Sorry sir", said receptionist, "but I find that if it looks strange, it usually is".
"What exactly are you accusing me of here?"
It seems the child had followed me into the hotel, leaving her family to deal with the luggage. Happily her parents and siblings had now joined her in the lobby, clearing my name with their presence.
I got my key and headed to my room, reputation intact.
Which should be fine, but I'm left wondering - do I look like a child molester?
7 commentaires:
Gross!
But at some level, you can't blame her. All she saw was an adult man with a little girl. Not enough people intervene to protect children.
But sorry you were made to feel like a predator.
Medbh, I'm torn between thinking "well done for being pro-active" and "is this what we have come to?".....we live in a strange old, sick old world.
Its an odd world sometimes, I even draw back now from talking to babies and kids if I am out
How sad is that
Well I don't have a mental picture of you as the "I wouldn't have him babysitting" guy. It is sad though isn't it how obsessed we have become with such things
I'm assuming then that you weren't in Thailand where they wouldn't have asked.
Unfortunately, no one and everyone looks like a child molester these days. Who knows? Don't think the hotel receptionist handled that one very well though, but at least she/he asked.
And, as they say, what about the parents? Where the hell were they whilst their daughter was trailing around after a strange man?
And I use the word "strange" in the best possible way, of course. :o)
It's hard isn't it. In so many ways our innocence has been lost.
I guess I would want everyone to question someone checking into a hotel with a small child and insisting on a double bed 'because there's more room to move'.....but I do think it's a worrying, sad, alarming, terrible sign of the world we live in.
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