Had an interesting/aggravating event happen last night.
Five of us went up to my buddys boat club where he moors his boat to watch the eclipse last night. We get there and have a seat on the patio and realize that there are other members and their guests on the balcony above us and in the clubhouse. He sat for about ten minutes and listened to them talk. One of the women was extremely annoying. Everything about the moon was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen in her life. She knew everything about what an eclipse is and how long it's been since the last one of these and how long it'll be til the next one. We saw a blazing fire FAR off in the distance and she was CERTAIN that it was The Bronx. We were about 15 miles north of NYC. That was not The Bronx. It was nowhere near The Bronx. She was certain. She didn't sound drunk. She sounded like this was how she talked and carried about herself in every day life. There is no question in my mind that there is a "coexist" sticker on the back of her car.
We decide to move down to the far end of the dock to be alone and watch the eclipse. I brought my camera, tripod, and a backpack full of beer. I put the backpack down and set up my camera on the part of the dock that wasn't floating so I could get some long exposures.
Twenty minutes later the group of people in the clubhouse came down by us. Now, two of my friends were talking together on one side of the dock. My other friend and I were 20 feet away on the stable dock trying to get a photo. My friends fiance was sitting down by herself in a little area at the other end of the dock. These people decided that they were going to stand DIRECTLY behind my fiends fiance, while she was sitting down minding her own business, and talk and laugh. They made no attempt to talk to her or asked her if it's okay they stand there. I noticed and went down and rescued her. I didn't say anything, but how f*cking rude? Ten full minutes of that yapping hyena of a woman talking later, they went back up to the clubhouse.
We were all annoyed but we started to joke about them and kind of brushed it off our shoulders.
Half hour goes by and it's gotten cloudy. I abandon my camera for a bit and go to my backpack for a beer. It's not there. I check the entire dock. Not there. I ask my friends and they say maybe I left it up at the table. I know I didn't but hey, maybe on the off chance I did so I go up to check. As I'm walking up there I realize that the other people were standing right next to where I laid down my backpack so I decided to go up and see if they actually took it or if they saw it. Went past the patio. Wasn't there. I headed upstairs.
As soon as I walked into the room they were sitting in I saw my backpack on one of the couches they were sitting on. These were all adults by the way. Their average age must have been 37-38. This exchange happens.
Me: "Hey guys. Sooo, uhhh, I have a question for you. What is my backpack doing here?"
I point at the backpack.
Loud woman: "Oh, is that YOUR backpack? Sorry. It looked like Matt's backpack. It's like the same backpack. You sure that is your backpack?"
Me: "Yes, it's my backpack. Don't worry about it. Things happen. It's fine"
I sling my bag over my shoulder and start heading out.
Loud Woman: "We didn't like steal it or anything. It was an accident."
Me: Never said you stole it. I just asked why it was there. Everything is fine."
I throw in a joke to relieve tension.
Me: "It's just full of beer anyway so nothing too valuable to have lost."
I start out the door and I hear the loud woman get up and follow me out and sit on the balcony. As I'm walking down the stairs I hear her say this...
"I don't like that tone. We didn't steal your backpack. That's ridiculous."
I ignored it even though it pissed me off to no end. Did I think they stole it? Yes and no. It could have been a mistake. They could have been a bunch of f*cking morons and took a backpack that was next to people who were already there when they didn't ACTUALLY bring a backpack down with them. Could have happened right? Whatever, I had my stuff.
We watch the eclipse. Eclipse is over. We go to leave. I go to pack up my camera and well, that's funny, my camera bag is missing now. I go up to my friend who invited us and told him that I was sorry and that I was going to have to confront them again. He couldn't believe it and said he'd come with me. We go up to the clubhouse. They're still huddled around couches and this exchange happens...
Me: "Hey guys, so uhhh, when you guys accidentally took my backpack, did you also happen to grab my camera case?
They all look at me like I was a f*cking assh*le. HOW DARE THIS MAN ASK FOR HIS STUFF BACK...AGAIN.
One dude : "No man. We don't have your camera bag. We're not thieves."
Me: "Not calling you thieves. Fact is though, you had my backpack before, so maybe, just maybe, it could be possible that you could also have my camera bag."
They all sort of scoff at the idea. I've pretty much had enough of this sh*t so I lay down the deal.
Me: "Look. I don't care whether you took it by accident or you took it on purpose. I don't care. I'm not going to stand here any longer and be treated like an assh*le. I would just like my stuff back so I can go home. Understand? I know it's here. So the sooner I get it, the sooner you can go back to whatever you were doing."
Loud Woman: *In the most snotty and snide way you could possibly say this* "Well, look for it."
Me: "I am looking for it."
Loud Woman: "Well, keep looking then"
She basically saying in a "well you OBVIOUSLY know we took it so GO AHEAD...LOOK for it" way.
I start heading over to one side of the room. There is a guy on the couch. He doesn't break eye contact with me. He reaches down behind the couch, says "Oh, is it a Nikon bag?" reaches up without looking holding my f*cking bag.
I'm done.
Me: "OH! So you DO have my F*CKING camera bag?"
I walk over and snatch it out of his hand. The loud woman starts screaming at me to get the f*ck out and to never come back. I turned around, told her she can go f*ck herself, and that everybody in here is an awful excuse for a person, and left.
My friend stayed behind and got all their names and told them he was making a complaint. Outside I apologized for what happened and he told me that I handled it as best as anybody could have and not to sweat it. Those people were dirt.
So besides the overall rudeness, there are a few things that baffle me. One of two things obviously happened.
1. They're f*cking thieves.
2. They're complete morons.
They came down where five people had picked a spot an laid out their stuff. They barged in, took over our spot, and left with two bags that they didn't carry down themselves. They had an opportunity to give me my camera bag back multiple times. Once when I found my backpack originally. A "Hey, we also have your camera bag" would have been nice. They also could have given me my bag when I asked for it the second time instead of staring at me like I was some scumbag crazy person who accuses people of theft every minute.
Like, what the actual f*ck? People actually behave like this? I almost feel bad I didn't lay the truth down harder on them. I'm still dumbfounded by it all.
Eclipse was pretty sweet though.
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