By Shirley Cambray:
A few years ago, my husband and I decided it would be a treat to bring in the New Year in a warm climate, so we were attracted to the ad that said, come and spend two weeks with us and enjoy a New Year’s celebration in sunny Arizona.
Tickets were duly purchased and we arrived in Scottsdale on December 27, to enjoy two weeks in the sun. Our accommodation at the resort was very good, better than adequate, and after getting freshened up we made our way to the local ‘park’ for a view of the foliage, or lack of it. At first it seemed too desolate to be named a park, but after a walk around it began to take on a unique form of beauty. Then we spotted a small, man-made lake with beautiful swans and I moved very close to them, thinking they would be friendly. Have you ever been chased by a screeching swan with gigantic wings flapping? I was amazed at how fast I could run in flip-flops.
Back at the resort we sat by the pool and made the acquaintance of a lively couple who had already been there for one week. They told us not to miss the happy half-hour on the patio of the courtyard, to be there at five-thirty and wear casual clothes. They would like to share a table with us.
I was all for meeting on the patio, but as far as clothes went I had a different idea. I hadn’t come all that way to dress down, I was going to wear my latest fashion pants, silver sling-back sandals, and a hand-knit cotton sweater. My husband said casual clothes were just the ticket for him and I couldn’t talk him out of it. He looked great anyway.
As we entered the courtyard we saw the afternoon pool couple, signalling for us to join them at their table. It was dusk and twinkle lights were the absolutely only illumination. We made our way carefully over to the gayly-decorated bar and picked up our drinks, all the while getting acquainted with several other vacationers. Waving my hand to the couple, to let them know we were on our way to their table, I didn’t realize that in my path was an open in-ground hot tub.
You guessed it, I stepped forward, sank into the hot tub on my derriere, with water up to my arm pits. Strangely I was still holding the drink, perhaps trying not to water it down. My first thought was disbelief, surely it was a dream. My husband grabbed my drink, two young fellows lifted me out of the tub and the attendant arrived with a large beach towel to wrap around me. The whole patio was deathly silent as everyone looked on. To cover my embarrassment I tried a little levity. “Next show will be in one hour”, I told the onlookers. That seemed to break the ice and everyone relaxed, expressing concern for my well being.
My husband helped me back to our rooms as I walked in squishy shoes, with pants sticking to me like glue, and a sweater which now had stretched down to my knees. I changed into dry, definitely casual clothes, emptied the contents of my soggy purse, and put my wet clothes on towels to dry. I said to my husband it was important for me to return to the patio that evening, because we were going to be with this group for two weeks, so I might as well face them and get it over with.
On our re-entry into the courtyard we were greeted with a standing ovation, and thereafter, I was affectionately referred to as the hot tub lady. We spent the rest of the wonderful holiday with no other mishap.
Shirley Cambray spent many summers on Oxbow Lake before taking up full-time residency in Huntsville. Now in her senior years, she is enjoying the writing of poems and short stories.
