Sleep Tight!

Our best friends had bought a small bungalow on a pristine lake in New Hampshire. It was small, with two bedrooms and one bathroom. Eventually, they expanded the place to make the primary bedroom larger and added a bath.

The lake was beautiful, and they bought a small boat and kayaks. I love looking at water views, but I prefer to avoid being in water. I cannot swim and fear whatever lurks beneath the water level. I don’t even like pools because of the amount of chemicals that are added.

The ocean scares me the most: its immense expanse of moving water, its depth that makes you feel tiny, the life that teems within it and, of course, sharks.

We made a trip to the bungalow right before the renovation. We spent only one night in the bungalow and stayed at a nearby motel for the last two nights. As usual, the first night, although cramped, was great, and the motel seemed nice enough. After the first night at the motel, I woke up, and while taking a shower, I noticed that I had a lot of “mosquito” bites. That’s not unusual for me.

We spent the day on the lake, around the cute towns, buying jewelry in antique stores, eating well and playing games in the evening. I was pretty uncomfortable. We retired to the motel and said our goodbyes as we left in the morning. I hated saying goodbye to them.

The second morning, I WAS one large “mosquito bite.” I itched, and I was miserable.

It was a very uncomfortable ride home. In the morning, I had a prescheduled appointment with my doctor. It was for a physical. When he saw me, he asked, “What the hell happened to you?” I told him where I had been and what had happened.

He looked at the bites and said, “Those are bed bug bites.” He counted 85 separate bites, gave me prednisone and some ointment and told me to use ice packs on the swelling.

I immediately went home and dumped anything in our suitcase into the washing machine in hot water. I then took the suitcase outside, hosed it down, and sprayed it inside and out with something from Lowes. I stripped the bed because I had put the suitcase on it and took the mattress pad in the second load of laundry. Although I saw nothing, I sprayed the mattress, bed frame, and wall.

My husband took photos of parts of my body with the marks all over.

Next, I called the motel and told them I had a problem. They were nasty and denied it. I told them I had documented proof that I was there for two nights, a letter from my doctor, and photos of the bites. They tried coming up with excuses. I wasn’t asking for anything; I informed them. Because they were so nasty, I demanded my money for the two-night stay be refunded. They responded that they would ask their lawyer.

That only fueled me. I told them I had no intention of going to a lawyer, but if that were their attitude, I would sue them. They refunded my money. Case closed.

A few years later, my husband and I stayed with my father-in-law at his home. We were moving from New York to Virginia and sold our house so quickly that we needed to stay someplace for several months before moving.

My father-in-law was suffering from dementia. We knew he couldn’t care for himself, especially if we moved away. He had no one to count on. We had constant discussions with him about moving with us. There is no way he would agree a move. He would also come into our bedroom at all night and morning hours. He lost any sense of time. He would start yelling that he was not leaving his house.

On our anniversary, we decided to leave him for one night. We went to dinner and saw a show. We spent the night at a lovely hotel. In the morning, once again, I was bitten up. Once again, nothing on my husband. This time, I didn’t wait. I went right to the reception area and spoke with the manager. They were immediately apologetic; the room was free, and they would bend over backward to avoid a lawsuit. We only had a little overnight case with us this time. I removed the clothes from the case, and I dumped the nightgown and underwear I had worn at night. I dumped the overnight case as well. What I could wash, I did.

I wish there were a way to avoid motels and hotels, but there is no way. I like to travel. Now, I come as prepared as I can. Everything is in some container, and I never put anything on a bed or chair. I leave suitcases in the bathroom, zipped up.

Since I can’t sleep tight! I have changed the old saying to

“Sleep aware, and quickly get out of there!”