Declined?

It is 12:36 AM as I write this and technically it’s Tuesday. But in my mind it’s still today, meaning Monday. To me, the day of the week doesn’t change until I wake up the next morning. Midnight means absolutely nothing to me except the cut-off hour for buying beer.

Today I headed to San Antonio from Houston for my monthly San Antonio run for work. It’s a three hour drive there and a three hour drive back doing the posted speed limit of 70 MPH. After rolling into town I have seven accounts that need tending to. After that I drive to the tiny, ultra-charming town of Wimberley through San Marcos for just one account. After that I drive back to San Marcos and stay the night.

By this time it’s around 7:00 PM and I’m pretty strung out from all the driving and rushing to get all the accounts taken care of in one day so I can just get up the next morning and drive home. I walked into the lobby of my regular motel and asked if they had anything available that night. They always do but I’m just polite that way. They did of course but when I asked if I could get a smoking room she said there were none available. A construction crew that was staying there had taken all of them. In a way that’s sort of funny to me. It fits such a stereotype and it looks like I fall right in with them. This is a place with a lobby with an elevator which takes you up to your floor. It’s all inside. You can’t walk out of your door and be outside. Then I noticed a sign on the desk that said anyone smoking in a non room would have $300.00 charged to their credit card. Geez! That’s excessive for just running their own ozonator in the room the next day. I wouldn’t do that to their room (although I did do it in the bathroom at Harpo studios). So, I just told the girl I’d look down the street and that I would be back next month.

There are about six of these same type motels right in a row down the I-37 feeder road so I just went to the next one. Yes, they had vacancies. As the guy was running my company issued credit card he said it came back as “declined”. I said “Nah, that can’t be. It’s a company card.” He tried it again and looked up sheepishly and said the same message came up. He then said that their lines have been acting up and told me he would reset the machine. After he did that, same thing. I gave him another card that I don’t think I had ever even activated because my boss said to only use it if I really, really needed to and I can’t even remember what year that was. Before I handed it over I noticed it was due to expire in five months. Of course, that one didn’t work either.

Even though I pretty much knew I was screwed, I went next door to the next place for one last long-shot. Declined again. No surprise at this point. All three of them were very apologetic. Each time I pointed out that it wasn’t in any way their fault. I kept all the bad words to myself until I got out of the lobby and walked back to my truck. It lasted all the way across town to a convenience store where I noticed that my drivers license was back at the last motel. She forgot to give it back to me and I didn’t realize that I had walked away without it. Fortunately, I hadn’t gotten too far away. I went back to get it then headed back for Houston. Again.

This has never happened before. It makes me think that things may not be well at the office in Simi Valley. It sort of worries me.

Update: I really wasn’t expecting any comments on this. Thanks for your questions and kind words. I never heard back from my boss but on a whim I tried getting gas one morning on the card and believe it or not it was accepted. I then tried it again to send some postage and it went through. After that I used it for an oil change for the truck and another tank of gas. Apparently, the amex issues are settled. I had to figure that out on my own. No one told me shit.