Mount Airy Lodge − 19 June, 1995
After I got out of the Army, I had about 55 odd jobs trying to find my calling. it was tough honestly, the only thing I knew was how to be a Scout; map reading, tank driving, and killing, don't neccessarily qualify you for an Accounting position in the civilian world. One of those jobs was as a Bellman at Mount Airy Lodge in Mt. Pocono, Pennsylvania. I'll never forget that my first day I reported to my supervisor, Tony Deluca. Tony Deluca actually graduated with me from East Stroudsburg HS. The funny part is he was very popular and used to make fun of me for being fat and he was skinny as a twig. When I reported to him he weighed no less than 350 pounds. At this point I was 180 pounds of solid muscle.
When he told me his name and said that he remembered me, I said, "What the fuck Tony? You're a fat shit now!" he laughed and said it was sympathy weight from his wife's pregnancy. I congratulated him on his baby and began working, but throughout that first day I couldn't stop looking at him. he'd always catch me and say, "Brian! I'm fat, I know!" and walk away.
That first day was funny as hell, and I use it as a perfect example to explain to kids why you should never make fun of people's bodies in High School, because so many things change. Tony and I worked together well at Mount Airy because he gave me a pass for the first day due to the hazing in high school and actually apologized for making fun of me then because he now saw how hard it was to be overweight.
I just told him to join the Army, it worked for me. He commented on how "Cool" I was now and not so geeky. I just laughed at him because I knew he would never be able to finish Basic Training if he tried. I'll never forget Russ either, He was the one guy that was about 30 and he was the elder and knew what he was doing all the time. We always used to fight about delivering the Dom to honeymoon suites so we could get a big tip and maybe see some hot woman in a nightgown. I only worked there for about 10 months, I got fired
One night the social director wanted me to give him a ride to another resort. I told him that I would either have a seat for him in the van with the group of guests currently at my counter or he could wait till I returned. The guests were flabbergasted when he said, "I don't give a shit about that, take me now!" I told him, "I'll give you a ride when I'm damn good and ready and if you don't like it, you can walk!"
He called me a loser bellman and stormed towards the main door. I said, in front of the guests, "Fuck you and the cloud you drifted in on" The guests laughed and I threw the keys for the other van at him. I took the guests to their lodge and came back. I left that night and all was well. I came in the next morning and was told by Tony that I should have checked my messages because I was suspended for three days.
He told me that the social director was a douche-bag, but the punishment was handed down from the resort management. All the bellman shook my hand because the same guy did shit like that to them all the time, I was a hero to the entire resort staff actually, I found out later that the front desk woman told everyone what I did the night before. They all hated him because he thought Social Director meant he could shit all over everyone, I guess it was actully true. :).
After 3 days, I went back and began working. I was really pissed because management didn't even want to hear my side of the story and suspended me without pay. Mr. Martens, the manager at the time called me in his office and had heard that I had a bad attitude. I said, "Wouldn't you? I got suspended and you never had the courtesy to let me defend myself and tell you that the social director needs a broomstick in his ass for talking to anyone in front of guests that way."
The guy didn't care, he just responded, "Is that the way you want it?" I said, "Do you want me to just forget that the management of Mount Airy have no backbone and suspend people based on what one douchebag says?" He fired me at that point. I told him to fuck himself, which was a big deal because so many people were afraid of him, and walked out of his office.
I handed in my namebadge to Tony and told everyone goodbye. My last words I shouted to the lobby were, "Mount Airy can kiss my hairy white ass." I hopped in my car and left, drove down the road 10 miles and applied at Penn Hills and was called back at midnight that night and I was working the next day as a social director. Oh, the irony! :)
Mount Airy has since gone bankrupt and been demolished and many people are being investigated for organized crime ties. It turns out that the social director I had the run in with was Mr. Martens' nephew. Mr Martens, it has been documented, was one of many owners of the resort with significant mob ties. In retrospect, cursing him out may not have been a smart idea, but I'm still here. :) Oh and if you're the social director and your reading this: I hope you work for a cruise line now and get paid in Sbarro coupons. Check out what happens when you mess with me: (See Photo)
When he told me his name and said that he remembered me, I said, "What the fuck Tony? You're a fat shit now!" he laughed and said it was sympathy weight from his wife's pregnancy. I congratulated him on his baby and began working, but throughout that first day I couldn't stop looking at him. he'd always catch me and say, "Brian! I'm fat, I know!" and walk away.
That first day was funny as hell, and I use it as a perfect example to explain to kids why you should never make fun of people's bodies in High School, because so many things change. Tony and I worked together well at Mount Airy because he gave me a pass for the first day due to the hazing in high school and actually apologized for making fun of me then because he now saw how hard it was to be overweight.
I just told him to join the Army, it worked for me. He commented on how "Cool" I was now and not so geeky. I just laughed at him because I knew he would never be able to finish Basic Training if he tried. I'll never forget Russ either, He was the one guy that was about 30 and he was the elder and knew what he was doing all the time. We always used to fight about delivering the Dom to honeymoon suites so we could get a big tip and maybe see some hot woman in a nightgown. I only worked there for about 10 months, I got fired
One night the social director wanted me to give him a ride to another resort. I told him that I would either have a seat for him in the van with the group of guests currently at my counter or he could wait till I returned. The guests were flabbergasted when he said, "I don't give a shit about that, take me now!" I told him, "I'll give you a ride when I'm damn good and ready and if you don't like it, you can walk!"
He called me a loser bellman and stormed towards the main door. I said, in front of the guests, "Fuck you and the cloud you drifted in on" The guests laughed and I threw the keys for the other van at him. I took the guests to their lodge and came back. I left that night and all was well. I came in the next morning and was told by Tony that I should have checked my messages because I was suspended for three days.
He told me that the social director was a douche-bag, but the punishment was handed down from the resort management. All the bellman shook my hand because the same guy did shit like that to them all the time, I was a hero to the entire resort staff actually, I found out later that the front desk woman told everyone what I did the night before. They all hated him because he thought Social Director meant he could shit all over everyone, I guess it was actully true. :).
After 3 days, I went back and began working. I was really pissed because management didn't even want to hear my side of the story and suspended me without pay. Mr. Martens, the manager at the time called me in his office and had heard that I had a bad attitude. I said, "Wouldn't you? I got suspended and you never had the courtesy to let me defend myself and tell you that the social director needs a broomstick in his ass for talking to anyone in front of guests that way."
The guy didn't care, he just responded, "Is that the way you want it?" I said, "Do you want me to just forget that the management of Mount Airy have no backbone and suspend people based on what one douchebag says?" He fired me at that point. I told him to fuck himself, which was a big deal because so many people were afraid of him, and walked out of his office.
I handed in my namebadge to Tony and told everyone goodbye. My last words I shouted to the lobby were, "Mount Airy can kiss my hairy white ass." I hopped in my car and left, drove down the road 10 miles and applied at Penn Hills and was called back at midnight that night and I was working the next day as a social director. Oh, the irony! :)
Mount Airy has since gone bankrupt and been demolished and many people are being investigated for organized crime ties. It turns out that the social director I had the run in with was Mr. Martens' nephew. Mr Martens, it has been documented, was one of many owners of the resort with significant mob ties. In retrospect, cursing him out may not have been a smart idea, but I'm still here. :) Oh and if you're the social director and your reading this: I hope you work for a cruise line now and get paid in Sbarro coupons. Check out what happens when you mess with me: (See Photo)
