It was at first a quiet Saturday evening in May 2014. In the Ponderosa Bed & Breakfast the couple Mitch en Matthew Cartwright looked forward to the live broadcasting of the baseball game between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. Mitch was for the Yankees and Matthew supported since his birth the Red Sox. This to great pleasure of his father-in-law Adam Cartwright, who also was for the Red Sox was.
Close by the B&B drove the snob Sheila Wilson. She had just left her husband David for a better and rick life with her lover John Clarke. With her in the car sat her 12 year old twins Kenny and Jenny. The 2 were also big snobs and very spoiled by their mother.
“I’m hungry, mother”, Kenny said at a certain moment.
“Me too and I’m tired”, said his sister.
“There is a hotel so we are going to use something there”, answered Sheila.
She drove upon the parking lot of the Ponderosa Bed & Breakfast and parked her car close by the building. The threesome got out and went to the front door. Sheila rang the bell and heard with her children the music of the fairytale ‘The Red Shoes’. Matthew had edited the mp3 of it into the doorbell. Sheila looked around and knew that she actually shouldn’t was allowed to be seen in a Bed & Breakfast because that was far beneath her rank. At least she felt that way.
The dog Chip began to bark loud at once. Mitch and Matthew looked at each other amazed.
“There is no reservation so…..?”, asked Mitch.
“Do you answer? Chip, to your place”, answered Matthew.
Chip went to his basket in the living room and Mitch answered the door.
“Can we spend the night here?”, Sheila asked stately.
“Have you reserved?”, asked Mitch.
“No, we never do that. My little children are tired and hungry”, the woman said who began to lose her patience.
“Just come in then”, Mitch said with reluctance.
‘There goes our baseball evening’, thought the young Cartwright.
“Welcome at the Ponderosa Bed & Breakfast. Room with breakfast costs 50 dollar per person per night”, Mitch said while he went ahead of the guests to the office.
Matthew was already at the office and gave a short nod at the guests.
“I do demand a diner for us. So tell the cook that he or she can get to work”, spoke Sheila Wilson.
“The kitchen is closed and we don’t do supper. This is a Bed & Breakfast. You can sleep here but then you pay 55 dollar per person. The extra 5 dollar is because you haven’t reserved and that it here compulsory”, Mitch said calm.
“I assume this is a hotel so….”, said Sheila.
“Like Mitch had said already: this is a Bed & Breakfast. You can do 2 things: or leave or pay cash and sleep without diner. Breakfast is between 8 and 11 o’clock. Because you haven’t made reservations please pay cash. That is then 165 dollar”, answered Matthew.
With reluctance Sheila paid cash and she got the keys. Matthew brought them to their rooms. The husky Chip walked along but Mitch whistled him back.
“Mama, do we get that funny dog?”, asked Kenny.
“Of course you get him”, promised Sheila.
“That funny dog is ours and he belongs to the B&B”, Matthew said quickly.
“I demand that my brother and I get him!”, said Jenny.
“Children like you have nothing to demand. They only need to get a strict upbringing!”, reacted Matthew.
“I want to speak the owner and right now!”, said Sheila.
“You are speaking with. I’m co-owner and run it together with my sweet husband Mitch”, said Matthew.
“What? Are you married? How disgusting. Children, we are staying here any longer. How far is it driving to Virginia City?”, asked Sheila.
“About 1½ a 2 hours. It’s Saturday evening so cozy busy. You do want to have your money back, don’t you?”, asked Matthew.
“Indeed!”, spoke Sheila.
They went downstairs and at the office Matthew gave the snob her money back. The 3 left at once.
Matthew looked at his husband and said from the bottom of his heart, “What a rotten people!”
“They think that they are better than us but it’s just the other way around. Forget them because the game starts within a quarter of an hour. And you know: whose club loses walks Chip ”, answered Mitch.
Matthew nodded . They got something to drink and walked with Chip to the living room. The TV got switched on and the sport channel got searched. The gentlemen and Chip went to sit on the settee watching.
Suddenly Mitch asked, “Have you said to that snob that in Virginia City each hotel and motel is fully booked due to that rodeo tomorrow?”
“No, completely forgotten. I dare to bet that they direct her to us”, answered Matthew.
They laughed.
A bit later on the couple got a visit from Ponderosa owner Ben Cartwright and also grandpa of them. Chip jumped off the settee and greeted the rancher as 1st. Together they came into the living room.
“Hi grandpa. Your room is ready as usual”, said Mitch.
“Hello boys. How is the score?”, asked the rancher.
“As the score is now Matt has to walk Chip. The Yankees are ahead with 4-0”, was the answer of Mitch.
Ben brought his bag to his room, grabbed something to drink then and watched with his grandsons the game. Matthew told about the short visit of the Snob family or in other words Wilson.
In the meantime the Wilson family had arrived in Virginia City but each hotel was full to the annoying of Sheila. Suddenly they ran into Dan en Laura Walker (the parents of Matthew). Laura and Sheila had been classmates.
“Laura Miller?”, asked Sheila.
“Sheila Baker?”, asked Laura.
“I’m now Laura Walker already for years and this is my husband Dan”, said Laura.
“I’m still called Wilson now but when I’m divorced I’m called Baker again. We want to sleep somewhere but everything is fully booked”, said Sheila.
“My son has a Bed & Breakfast and you can sleep there”, said Laura.
She gave a business card and said after that, “We have to go.”
She and Dan quickly walked on.
Without realizing it Sheila drove back to the B&B. Just when they heard the door bell and saw Mitch she understood that she had been had by Laura Walker.
“Do you know Laura Walker?”, Sheila asked snappy.
“Yes, that’s my sweet and great mother-in-law. Fro you it’s still 165 dollar”, answered Mitch.
“Alright then”, snapped Sheila.
“Is that funny dog still here?”, asked Kenny.
“For me he is but not for you. Matt is walking him”, Mitch said while he walked with the guests to the office.
Ben walked along for the security.
“We do get breakfast served in bed, don’t we?”, asked Jenny.
“No, we do breakfast in the eating part of the living room”, answered Mitch.
After everything was being paid for and dealt Mitch brought the guest to their room.
“Each room has its own bathroom”, said Mitch.
He left them alone and went downstairs again.
“Grandpa, your sons can be annoying but compared to them they are altar boys”, said the young Cartwright.
“Then I know enough son. I stay as long as they are”, promised Ben.
Mitch nodded and went to make 3 mugs of anise milk.
When Matthew and Chip came home Mitch said, “Sweetheart, the Snob family is back. They couldn’t get a place anywhere in Virginia City and your mother sent them here.”
“Great!”, said his husband.
Fortunately it remained quiet for the rest of the evening and night.
The couple was up early for breakfast whereby Dan and Laura helped. Chip got walked by Ben and after his breakfast the dog went into his playfield.
When Sheila and her children came downstairs Laura went to the garden.
“Morning ladies and gentleman. The breakfast is ready over there. So grab what you want”, said Matthew.
He went outside to help his mother. The guests walked to the extended buffet.
“What a few choices”, sniffed Jenny.
“They have just started of course”, said Sheila.
They grabbed which they knew and went to have breakfast. Dan and Mitch watched from the open kitchen. Every now and then they looked at each other and their thoughts were the same.
After breakfast Sheila walked to the kitchen and she asked, “Who is the boss here?”
“That old man over there”, Mitch said pointing at Ben.
The rancher looked at his grandson with a look of: ‘Thank you for the compliment son.’
“Mrs Wilson, what can I do for you?”, he asked.
“I have here a list with complains about this B&B. I demand that these complains are being dealt with in my presence”, said Sheila.
Ben checked the list and answered, “These complains are really ridiculous. This B&B lives up to all possible demands. Good day Mrs Wilson and children.”
Sheila was so insulted that she left right away with her children and never returned again. And nobody didn’t mind that.