Today started badly. I fell out of my hotel bed at 430am to
catch an airport taxi. On arrival at the airport I found my flight had been
cancelled and I was being re-routed to a completely different airport where I
would need to hire a car to complete my journey. It was only when I got to the
Hertz desk (at my new airport) that I realised I had left my suit jacket,
containing my credit card, in my hotel room back in NY.
Fortunately I had another credit card with me. After 45 years
of losing things - keys, wallets, phones, sense of humour, balance, virginity -
I have learnt to always have a spare handy.
I rang the hotel anticipating a long painful inquisition.
After less than a minute I was talking to a fantastic chap. 10 minutes later he
confirmed that he had retrieved my jacket and card (AND $75 I had forgotten
about!) and would send it straight to me. As my trip still has Miami (tonight)
and Haiti (tomorrow) I asked him to send it back to England, again bracing
myself for a 'we can't ship it outside the US' response. However nothing is too
difficult for Rafael Rosario, the Hero of the Park Avenue Hotel.
My ultimate destination was a 52 year old (dirty,
CO2-belching) coal fired power station where I was to view a new piece of water
treatment kit. My host (the villain of this piece) upon hearing that I was a
private equity investor, assumed I was anti-environment so peppered the tour
with bile-laden references to 'those liberals in Washington', and complained
vehemently about legislation to control mercury discharges. I decided to keep
quiet about my Environmental Sciences degree.
It was only at the end of the tour that he said 'Meant to ask
at the beginning, my VP wanted me to check that you aren't involved in any
environmental advocacy groups?' (Said whilst glaring into my eyes to check I
didn't betray any tendencies towards softness or caring).
Heroes and villains are everywhere. Although to be fair, I
think my villain was actually a hero deep down. He has done some spectacularly
clever, brave and ground breaking things to clean up his discharges (from his
power plant, I can't speak about his personal habits). He may resent those pesky
environmentalists but their activities have probably ensured he has a job for
the next 20 years or so. And that people like me actually admire
him.
Bloody liberals.
(And yes, you can have a spare
virginity).
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