It Looked Like Rain, and a Tough Customer

This happened to me recently when I was travelling around Italy for business. I was really tired because I’d been working and travelling all day. I got tired of traveling, and, at least, I had hoped that I could have a little bit more relaxation in my office. So I reached my office and opened the door, but it was a complete mess. I went downstairs, and told the porter and he said that I would have to wait for half an hour before the door was repaired. I was nervous, but I have the patience of Job, so I set to work in the office with the door open. At some point I heard a very strong and unusual thundering noise, as if someone ran up the stairs. In the meantime, the porter came to my office in a state of great agitation.
“What in hell’s name is going on?” I asked, “Have workers arrived?”
“No.”, the porter replied, “There is only a strange client in the Waiting room.”

I asked what was so strange about him, and the porter explained that he wasn’t complaining or asking to see the manager. I was amazed, and “How long he had been there,” I asked. The porter looked disconcerted and replied that he had been waiting for at least two hours. “Keeping the client there for another hour!”, I suggested, “I’m fed up with all these setbacks.” And I went back to work. All that irritated me a lot, but the business intrigued me.
While I was chatting with my wife online through Skype, and I was writing: “Don’t forget to dress the salad,” the porter was back. His hands were trembling, so I asked what the client was doing. The porter quavered that the client had read the paper and was just sitting patiently and smiling.
I Couldn’t Resist!
I went to the Waiting Room to see by myself this strange character. And I saw a man sitting there quietly. He was looking out of the window and smiling. Speaking imperiously, I told him he wouldn’t be able to see the manager today! But, to my surprise, he replied that there was nothing to worry about. A man could work hard without sweeting, but I felled sweaty, explaining with a thick voice that the manager was much too busy to see him. But the insolent client said that he didn’t mind.

At that point I was angry, and ordered him to take his application to the manager at once. I thought we were agreed, but I was wrong. The impudent client just looked out of the window, saying: “I had only come into the office to get out of the rain!” My glasses steamed up when he added that it had just stopped raining, so he would leave out. I was railing against him in a fit of anger, but the porter announced that three workers were arrived to repair my office door. So I managed to avoid criminal persecution by a hair’s breadth. A very lucky coincidence and I thought that just by the way it was time to go home to eat my salad.