The Toiletry Bag

Tales of an AirBnB Host

Guests of the Week #4 — Names Remain Anonymous

The names remain anonymous because it was a large group of guests on this particular weekend. And I can’t remember all their names.

I love being an AirBnB host. There is always a new guest, a new adventure, a new story.

Some weekends are busier than others. Saturday nights are the busiest.

I live on the Metro North Hudson Line. It’s a beautiful ride to the east side of the Hudson River, starting north out of Grand Central Station. At the end of the line, Poughkeepsie is as far away from Manhattan as you can get on a commuter train.

So if you are looking to get out of the city, it’s a good destination. It’s a nice long ride to get there. The ride has beautiful scenery. The small city has history and art and nature. My wonderful banana bread is attraction enough. Add my kick ass Saturday night dinners and well, it’s pretty great.

One weekend last summer, we had a large party that wanted to tent outside.

That’s not uncommon. If you spend all your time stuck in city skyscrapers, a tent next to a wooded area is welcome relief. With owls and coyotes and crickets serenading you at night, it’s a wonderful escape.

And with hot showers and a home cooked meal, it’s a perfect getaway.

This group was coming to visit another event — a full moon celebration. They came to tent, but were going to be out late, and so they’d miss the dinner.

Which was okay by me — it made my chef duties lighter that night.

The dinner was fun, as usual. Lots of great food, terrific conversation, and new friends made, as always.

The tenters came from several locations — New Jersey, Connecticut and New York. They converged at my place.

They were super friendly, and super happy. Almost too happy.

When they came back from their full moon celebration, though it was late, our dinner party was still going on. And they were still super happy. And huggy. And lovey.

Then they used the bathroom facilities and went out to the tents.

The next morning, they were STILL super happy. I thought to myself, wow, they are either expert meditators or already enlightened. Could have been so happy to meet me. My reviews are super duper, after all.

I made brunch, and they loved it. I make my own buttermilk, then add a sourdough starter to make an overnight sponge. In the morning, I add bananas and cook the best pancakes with Vermont maple syrup . We drank coffee and chatted. They signed the guest book. Then they gathered up their belongings, and headed out around 2 pm that Sunday afternoon.

Nice group, I thought. So friendly and happy.

The next day, I got a phone call from the guy who had made the booking for the group. He asked if I’d happened to have located a toiletry bag. I said no, I didn’t recall seeing it, but I’d give a quick scan around the house, and call him back. He was very thankful.

I looked in all the bathrooms. I found no toiletry bag. I called him back and let him know that I had found nothing, and apologized, but that I would call him if it turned up later. He thanked me, and said he would come and get the bag if I found it later. And our conversation ended.

Okay, I thought, wow, that’s some valuable toiletries! I mean, I used to wear makeup, but usually I bought mine at the local drug or grocery store, not Bloomingdale’s. But I know it can get expensive.

I thought it was kind of him. He had been the only guy in the group of all women. He was volunteering to drive all the way from his place in Connecticut back to pick up that bag for his friends. So nice of him.

I didn’t think about it again until about a week later.

The guy that did the lawn mowing was coming that day, and I had to go outside to move the garden hose.

I’m an avid gardener, and I love exotic flowers. I had a master gardener help me with my garden for a couple of years. The last big gardening stint he engaged in with me, he told me there would be surprises I would find popping up. That’s always exciting. I love the prospect of seeing new flowers you’ve never seen before.

I was out moving the garden hose, when in the corner of my eye, I saw a bright spot of color over near one of my trees. I remembered my gardener telling me about the surprise flowers.

So I took a walk over to the far side of the property to investigate what new posy might be awaiting me.

There, at the base of the tree, was a very colorful toiletry bag!

WOW, I thought, I found it! It was outside? At the base of a tree? The gals must have been sitting under this tree. The tent was standing right next to it, after all, made sense.

Lucky thing it had not rained all week. Lucky thing I found the bag before the lawn mower guy found it. Or shredded it accidentally.

I was eager to see what brand cosmetics warranted the extra attention.

I unzipped the bag.

The entire bag was full of cannabis. And papers and pipes. A full bag.

AH — clarity.

Very happy people. Very concerned about their cannabis. Made sense.

I called the guy back and told him I found the toiletry bag!

He must have jumped in the car while still on the phone. When he arrived, I told him that there must have been no traffic, as he made it to my place in record time!

He was SO smiley and happy. I handed him the toiletry bag. He couldn’t stop saying thank you and hugging me.

And then he drove off.

They left me a super great review.

This is a series!

And so are these:

© Susan Brearley, 2019 All Rights Reserved

Susan Brearley is a brilliant strategist, a published book author, writer, seasoned editor, essayist, occasional comedy writer, and an accidental poet. She is currently working on her second book, a murder mystery about an OCD detective, who’s been called a “young version of Monk.” She’s a retired systems engineer and salesperson from IBM, a serial entrepreneur, and a survivor of a stage 4 inflammatory breast cancer since 1995. She’s also working on her US Coast Guard Captain’s license, has her US Sailing keelboat certification, and is the creator and elder teacher of a new program, “VisionQuest” that mentors and teaches adults of all ages how to create the life they were born to live. She is currently based in the mid-Hudson Valley, New York.