Today I had two meetings in the first half of my day. One with a client that I’ve done some web development for, and one for an hour long swim lesson I was going to teach to two people.

I like to give back to my fellow man and teaching people a skill that will help them survive and also increase their fun level by millions really feels good.

After my first appointment, I called my second appointment, the swimming lessons. We spoke and I told them I would be there in 20 minutes.

20 minutes later I arrived at the location, an apartment complex with a pool(which by the way is a great place to start learning).  Most of the time these pools are shallow from end to end so a new swimmer can always just ‘stand up’ if they get scared.

Anyways, I arrive at 12pm as we had agreed upon and I gave them a call. Got the voice mail.

12:10 rolls around, I give them another call. Still the voice mail.

12:20 is coming up and I call again. Still no answer and I leave a voice mail.

Shortly after I get a call back.  They are less than 2 minutes away and will be there asap. I can go through the leasing office and into the pool area…which I do.

After changing, I grab the kick boards and head to the water. They are still not there so I just get in and start swimming some laps.

12:30 and still nothing. Just me and a small family hanging out in the pool. I continue swimming laps.

12:35 I check and still no call back, no sign of them. So I swim some more laps.

Ah ha! It looks like two people that could be my people. Sweet, 40 minutes late but at least there are here, we can get started.

I will teach them how to swim, a skill everyone should have for safety and fun! In exchange they will pay me in money.

They walk down to the pool area, one in a bathing suit ready to rock, the other in shorts and a t-shirt. I ask them if it was in fact them and they agreed.

Jokingly, and I said something like “well great, I’m glad you are here, hop on in because we only have like 20 minutes right?”

1 hour long lesson, we agree to meet at 12pm, I arrive at 12pm, they arrive at 12:40pm…the math is in there.

Anyway, the person I had been speaking to went back to their car for a second to ‘get something’.  I continue swimming laps.

I swim away, swim back, swim away, and on my way back this time, I notice both of them are back in their car driving away!

Staring right at me!

I swam back to my stuff and gave them a call then left them a message to the tune of  “I appologize for wasting your time. Please give me a call if and when you are actually serious about learning to swim, have a good day.”

Sure I was stewing but I would have felt like an idiot if I had ‘gone off’ on them for being the kind of people they are.  It wouldn’t have changed them so I saved my breath and kept it professional.

My first mistake was not having them pay me before I drove out there.  The location is really far from where I live, but was fairly close to where my first appointment was at. I can easily accept online payments, even from credit cards, so there is no reason that I should have not been paid for my hours of waiting around at that pool.

Anyway, like I was saying….Some People right?