Motel Accident

Mike C.

Back in the early 1990's I got a sales rep job where I had to travel for at least a couple weeks a month to meet with existing customers and new customers who had contacted our head office. When the guy who was giving up the route took me on rounds to introduce me he pointed out the lower priced motels in which he stayed in order to be able to pocket a little bit of the per diem food and accommodation allowance the company issued. So once I started on my own I basically followed his advice and stayed in the places he showed me. Four months into my stint and winter had started which made travel a lot more difficult. Near the end of the first week of my monthly rounds I headed out on the freeway for the 90 minute drive to my final destination where I had five calls scheduled for the next day before heading back to the office and home for the weekend. As soon as I got on the freeway I knew I should have looked for an alternate route as the snow and ice had caused numerous car accidents. I'd made a reservation and I figured I'd arrive at the motel by about 7:30pm in the evening but due to the road conditions I didn't get there until close to 9:30pm and I almost panicked when I saw the No Vacancy notice lit up at the bottom of the motel sign. I stopped the car in front of the lobby door and ran in asking the young clerk who I didn't recognize if he'd held my reservation and he said he did because as a previous customer the motel had my credit card number on file. I was relieved and registered after making a very necessary pit stop at the washroom down the hallway to the right of the check-in counter. The clerk told me when I registered in that the adjoining restaurant/bar was only open until 10:00pm so I grabbed my room key, parked my car, and then headed back to the restaurant ordering a sandwich and fries and over the course of about half an hour quickly downed three bottles of beer which didn't make me feel drunk at all. I paid the bill and took my suitcase out of my trunk before heading for a much needed night of sleep. I was exhausted both from the busy week and stressed out due to the terrible driving conditions that day. I turned up the heat in the cold room and undressed leaving only my white briefs and t-shirt on and turned off the light before bundling myself under the covers of the double bed. I didn't brush my teeth or go to the bathroom because I was so tired and I didn't feel the need to go in any case. I slept soundly until the room phone rang at 6:30am in the morning. It rang four times and bleary eyed I turned over to pick it up and listened to the automated wake-up message. As I lay back down the realization quickly dawned on me that the bed was clammy and as I felt and then looked at my briefs and t-shirt and the sheets underneath me I saw that I'd wet the bed - and it wasn't a small accident. Holy **** I thought. What would I do? I hadn't used protection when I was away from home for about five years as I stopped having accidents except when I was drinking heavily. And I made sure to drink heavily only if I knew I was going to be sleeping at home where I always had protection. It didn't even occur to me that three beers the night before would be a problem. I was an experienced drinker and I never got drunk on three beers. It must have been the exhaustion I thought. In any case I got up quickly and looked at the large very yellow urine stain in the middle of the white sheet and pulled off the bedding revealing the large dark wet stain on the mattress underneath. I debated whether or not to tell the front desk but I had paid for my room the previous day and usually I just left the key in the room and drove away. So I chickened out and decided after showering and dressing not to report the accident. Instead I left a note for the chambermaid apologizing for the accident along with a $20 bill. Normally I only left $5 so I figured I'd lost my per diem surplus for the day. I drove away and had breakfast at a fast food place down the street. I next arrived at the same motel four weeks later. I tried to make a reservation at another motel but both of the nearby motels I knew of were fully booked. I registered for my room with the same desk clerk who checked me in the previous month at around dinner time. And because I had to go for a quick leak I walked down the short hallway and did my business and on the way back heard the desk clerk talking to one of the chambermaids who was still apparently on duty. I stood still so they wouldn't see me after I overheard the clerk ask the chambermaid "Did you get room 32 (my room number) ready?" She responded "Ya, he's flagged on this morning's report. We found a plastic cover in the supply room." She then went on to say something I couldn't fully hear although she seemed to be amused by it and he responded seriously "No he looks normal maybe around 30." She replied "Oh well, there's another regular guest flagged for it too - a truck driver around 50 I think." Then I walked around the corner and the clerk signaled my presence to the chambermaid who quickly scurried into the office behind the check-in desk. I went to my room thinking to myself that I was now flagged on their records as a bed wetter. When I got to my room I quickly checked the bedding and sure enough there was a plastic cover on the mattress. In fact for the following five months before I changed jobs a plastic cover was put on the mattress every time I stayed even though I'd only had one accident at the motel. Once flagged as a bed wetter I guess I couldn't shake that reputation.

← Back to story list