The Hot Tub Story

Before working in the nuclear industry, I worked for a short time for myself. I turned my university thesis project into a business creating multi-media software for the fire safety industry.

Working from home, my business venture resulted in many hours at the computer and many long nights.

After one such night I awoke with tremendous back pain. I must have slept on it wrong. Or it could have been due to lifting boxes during my recent move from London to Toronto; or perhaps it was due to me working 18 hour days for the past few days. Whatever it was that caused this, there was no way I could sit in front of the computer in this condition. My back muscles up stiffened so much I could barely walk and the hot water from the shower wasn’t enough to help loosen them.

That's when I looked out the window of my apartment at Yonge and Gerrard in Toronto and saw the beautiful Delta Chelsea Hotel across the street.

Like a light bulb switching on inside my head a solution presented itself; the hot tub over at the Delta Chelsea!

I slowly walked over to the hotel, each step being a painful one, went to the floor where the pool was and asked the young man behind the desk if I could use the pool. I said, “I’m waiting for someone before checking in. Do you mind if I use the hot tub while I wait?”

Okay, I told a little lie, I wasn't really going to check-in. And yes, I have been told that "Baby Jesus cries when Max tells lies".

Anyway, the guy behind the counter told me it was no problem to use the hot tub.

It felt soooo good.

I had forgotten just how good a free hot tub feels. It was still very early in the morning, around 8am, and no one was there except for the guy working and me. He was obviously pretty bored so he came over and started up a conversation.

Everything I told him during out talk was true with the exception of where I was from and the fact that I wasn’t really waiting to check into the hotel. I told him I was living in London, Ontario, which I was until recently. We talked about my software design; and I explained what I did for a living.

As he and I were talking, I saw someone enter the room out of the corner of my eye. I could see it was a lady in her upper fifties so I didn't pay too much attention to her.

That's when I heard in a loud voice, “MAX?? HOW ARE YOU?!”

It was my parent’s neighbour, Mrs. Ellerton.

Mrs. Ellerton’s husband is a doctor in Port Perry and apparently they decided to make a little vacation out of a work conference in Toronto that he was attending. They got a room at the Delta Chelsea and Mrs. Ellerton was going to spend the day shopping and lounging by the pool while Mr. Ellerton attended the conference.

“Max, what are you doing here?”

“I’m just in town on business and thought I’d use the pool before check-in”

“But you live just right around the corner don’t you?”

This sent a cold shiver down my hot-tubbed spine, as the pool guy was still there and I had just told him I lived in London.

“No, Mrs. Ellerton, I'm thinking of moving to Toronto from London but it hasn’t happened yet.”

“That’s funny…” she replied deep in thought, “I could have sworn your mom said you had moved to Toronto. I only spoke with her yesterday”

“Well, you know my Mom, Mrs. Ellerton; she has her good days and her bad ones".

As these words came out of my mouth I knew it was the worst of mistakes. Bad Karma meet Max; Max meet Bad Karma. You see, my mom has no condition. But what was I to do?

My parents didn't have kids until they were both 40 years of age so my mom was in her upper sixties by this time. Poor Mrs. Ellerton now thought that my Mom had dementia…or perhaps worse!

At that point, I decided to cut my losses. I timidly got up and left the hot tub with my head lowered, and slowly began my walk to the change room.

I still remember the look on Mrs. Ellerton's face as I was leaving. Pure sadness mixed with confusion.

I do understand that the right thing to do would have been to go back and talk to Mrs. Ellerton and explain that I had lied.

Another right thing would have been to tell my mother.

I went with saying absolutely nothing to anyone. However, upon leaving the hotel I did go to the nearest church and drink holy water while praying…as a last ditch attempt to restore my inner karma.

A few months later, I was home visiting my family and my mother brought up Mrs. Ellerton; I froze in my tracks.

“Max, you won't believe what a guardian angel Mrs. Ellerton is... She's always asking me how I’m doing and she is always so concerned about my well-being. She truly is an angel, Max. Jesus himself must have sent her to me.”

Not exactly Mom, not exactly....