(no subject)
So Alph was supposed to come back from his lease yesterday.
The scheduled day was the 10th, so I told the barn owner to be ready for him and left her a check for 20 days board. I wasn't able to go out to the barn yesterday, so I called the barn owner at 8:30pm to check in on how he had settled in.
I was informed there was no Alph.
This seemed a bit odd, but maybe they are doing an after-work drive.
So I call them. The conversation goes like this:
"Hello."
"Hi, this is Christina, I'm calling about Alph?"
"Oh. Yeah I couldn't make it today. I'm sick."
I felt that this was information that could have possibly been volunteered by phone earlier in the day, but apparently she chose option b, "just don't show up with this lady's horse and don't bother to call about it or anything."
But it seemed fairly pointless to say ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? so instead I said, "Ok...do you have any idea when you would bring him then? The barn was expecting him today and I had left a check but if you tell me when he is coming then I can tell them and just leave them a different check." I don't actually plan to change the check, since it is not the barn owner's fault that she held a stall for a day the horse didn't arrive, but I slip that in there as a subtle r eminder that people have to PAY BOARD to have stalls ready for horses who don'.t show.
"Well, I don't understand why you would change the check. I mean, you CONTRACTED for today and she has been holding the stall so as of today that is your stall and I don't see why you wouldn't pay for it."
I find this very interesting that she is detailing to me all the expenses I am supposed to be incurring when I reserve a stall for a specific day and then she randomly doesn't show up with the horse. I do not detect any apologetic tone about the inconvenience either, and find it highly ironic that I am getting a lesson on courtesy from someone who just no show no called with my horse. But let me kindly pay that bill so that your actions don't unduly inconvenience my barn owner.
So I say, "Ok, I think my barn owner and I can work out our board arrangements between us. Could you let me know when you will be able to bring him?"
"Well, we can definitely do Monday. Or maybe Saturday. Saturday is a possibility, but I'm not sure."
"Ok, if you can definitely do Monday, let's just pick that day so that I can tell people a definite day."
"Well, maybe we can do Saturday but I can't be sure."
"Right, so let's just stick with Monday so that everybody knows in advance what is happening rather than still not knowing for sure the day before. I don't want to keep telling my barn owner several different days."
"Why don't you give me the barn owner's number and then I can call her when I know."
I resist the urge to say, "Because I don't want to make a brand new barn owner deal with this level of cray two weeks in," and say instead "I would prefer to be the point of contact."
"You need to give me her number!!"
"As I said, I would prefer to be the point of contact."
"THIS IS COMPLETELY CRAZY THAT YOU WON'T GIVE ME HER NUMBER."
"Ok, the number is easily googleable, but as I said, I would like to remain the point of contact. I don't it is unreasonable for me to want to be the first point of contact about my own horse."
"I WANT YOU TO GIVE ME HER NUMBER RIGHT NOW!"
"Ok, in order for me to give you the number right now, I would have to get off the phone, google it on my phone, and then call you back. Either way the point is that I would like to remain..."
"I THINK YOU SHOULD GET OFF THE PHONE, GOOGLE IT, AND THEN CALL ME BACK!"
At this point I informed her that if she really wanted the number so bad she could google it herself, but the point is that I would like to be the first point of contact and that arrangements about this horse should be arranged directly with or by me, on the off chance that maybe the seventh time I said this she would get it.
So naturally she says, "CHRISTINA, DO YOU HAVE CHILDREN?"
"...I'm sorry?"
"DO! YOU! HAVE! CHILDREN!!!"
"Um, no but I have like three jobs so..."
"WELL, WE WILL TRY FOR SATURDAY BUT WHEN YOU HAVE CHILDREN YOU CAN JUST NEVER PLAN THINGS" (not even one day in advance, apparently) "SO WE WILL TRY BUT I JUST DON'T KNOW."
"Well, like I said, if Monday is easier..."
"WELL WE CAN'T BE SURE ABOUT MONDAY EITHER. You know what Christina? I am just going to have to LET YOU KNOW. I am just going to have to LET! YOU! KNOW!"
"Um... Ok well let me call the barn owner then and tell her that he might be coming Saturday or maybe Monday."
"Fine."
Reading back through this I realize I sound incredibly tame, but
a.) I want my horse back and it seems like a "no sudden moves" protocol is necessary with this woman or she will really lose it, so save how I really feel until he is home
b.) quite honestly it was all so crazy and so far outside the realm of normal that I literally could not keep up with it. I mean, I can handle a fair bit but when someone is suddenly yelling at me about children out of nowhere and their whole behavior is just so completely nuts, I just can't keep up. I was literally searching for speech the whole conversation and I am frankly amazed I managed to say as much as I did.
So anyway.
The BBFF did say that aside from the shoes he is fat and happy and turned out in a field, so I don't think Alph is in any actual danger, and I don't want to cause an actual WWIII by just sailing in with my trailer and leaving with him, so crazy as they are I think at this point the best option is to just wait a day or two and if he is still not back, then go.
Personally I feel if they had just called and said, "hey listen I am sick today so I won't be able to bring him, would Saturday or Monday work for you?" this would have all gone a lot smoother but apparently that is not how it goes.
The scheduled day was the 10th, so I told the barn owner to be ready for him and left her a check for 20 days board. I wasn't able to go out to the barn yesterday, so I called the barn owner at 8:30pm to check in on how he had settled in.
I was informed there was no Alph.
This seemed a bit odd, but maybe they are doing an after-work drive.
So I call them. The conversation goes like this:
"Hello."
"Hi, this is Christina, I'm calling about Alph?"
"Oh. Yeah I couldn't make it today. I'm sick."
I felt that this was information that could have possibly been volunteered by phone earlier in the day, but apparently she chose option b, "just don't show up with this lady's horse and don't bother to call about it or anything."
But it seemed fairly pointless to say ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? so instead I said, "Ok...do you have any idea when you would bring him then? The barn was expecting him today and I had left a check but if you tell me when he is coming then I can tell them and just leave them a different check." I don't actually plan to change the check, since it is not the barn owner's fault that she held a stall for a day the horse didn't arrive, but I slip that in there as a subtle r eminder that people have to PAY BOARD to have stalls ready for horses who don'.t show.
"Well, I don't understand why you would change the check. I mean, you CONTRACTED for today and she has been holding the stall so as of today that is your stall and I don't see why you wouldn't pay for it."
I find this very interesting that she is detailing to me all the expenses I am supposed to be incurring when I reserve a stall for a specific day and then she randomly doesn't show up with the horse. I do not detect any apologetic tone about the inconvenience either, and find it highly ironic that I am getting a lesson on courtesy from someone who just no show no called with my horse. But let me kindly pay that bill so that your actions don't unduly inconvenience my barn owner.
So I say, "Ok, I think my barn owner and I can work out our board arrangements between us. Could you let me know when you will be able to bring him?"
"Well, we can definitely do Monday. Or maybe Saturday. Saturday is a possibility, but I'm not sure."
"Ok, if you can definitely do Monday, let's just pick that day so that I can tell people a definite day."
"Well, maybe we can do Saturday but I can't be sure."
"Right, so let's just stick with Monday so that everybody knows in advance what is happening rather than still not knowing for sure the day before. I don't want to keep telling my barn owner several different days."
"Why don't you give me the barn owner's number and then I can call her when I know."
I resist the urge to say, "Because I don't want to make a brand new barn owner deal with this level of cray two weeks in," and say instead "I would prefer to be the point of contact."
"You need to give me her number!!"
"As I said, I would prefer to be the point of contact."
"THIS IS COMPLETELY CRAZY THAT YOU WON'T GIVE ME HER NUMBER."
"Ok, the number is easily googleable, but as I said, I would like to remain the point of contact. I don't it is unreasonable for me to want to be the first point of contact about my own horse."
"I WANT YOU TO GIVE ME HER NUMBER RIGHT NOW!"
"Ok, in order for me to give you the number right now, I would have to get off the phone, google it on my phone, and then call you back. Either way the point is that I would like to remain..."
"I THINK YOU SHOULD GET OFF THE PHONE, GOOGLE IT, AND THEN CALL ME BACK!"
At this point I informed her that if she really wanted the number so bad she could google it herself, but the point is that I would like to be the first point of contact and that arrangements about this horse should be arranged directly with or by me, on the off chance that maybe the seventh time I said this she would get it.
So naturally she says, "CHRISTINA, DO YOU HAVE CHILDREN?"
"...I'm sorry?"
"DO! YOU! HAVE! CHILDREN!!!"
"Um, no but I have like three jobs so..."
"WELL, WE WILL TRY FOR SATURDAY BUT WHEN YOU HAVE CHILDREN YOU CAN JUST NEVER PLAN THINGS" (not even one day in advance, apparently) "SO WE WILL TRY BUT I JUST DON'T KNOW."
"Well, like I said, if Monday is easier..."
"WELL WE CAN'T BE SURE ABOUT MONDAY EITHER. You know what Christina? I am just going to have to LET YOU KNOW. I am just going to have to LET! YOU! KNOW!"
"Um... Ok well let me call the barn owner then and tell her that he might be coming Saturday or maybe Monday."
"Fine."
Reading back through this I realize I sound incredibly tame, but
a.) I want my horse back and it seems like a "no sudden moves" protocol is necessary with this woman or she will really lose it, so save how I really feel until he is home
b.) quite honestly it was all so crazy and so far outside the realm of normal that I literally could not keep up with it. I mean, I can handle a fair bit but when someone is suddenly yelling at me about children out of nowhere and their whole behavior is just so completely nuts, I just can't keep up. I was literally searching for speech the whole conversation and I am frankly amazed I managed to say as much as I did.
So anyway.
The BBFF did say that aside from the shoes he is fat and happy and turned out in a field, so I don't think Alph is in any actual danger, and I don't want to cause an actual WWIII by just sailing in with my trailer and leaving with him, so crazy as they are I think at this point the best option is to just wait a day or two and if he is still not back, then go.
Personally I feel if they had just called and said, "hey listen I am sick today so I won't be able to bring him, would Saturday or Monday work for you?" this would have all gone a lot smoother but apparently that is not how it goes.