There's no crying in baseball, but there is in pool installation

 When we last left the Wells Pool Project, it was June 23 and we were waiting on concrete to be poured. The fence had been cut down, the water in the pool was green and disgusting, and the yard was filled was rocks, mounds of dirt, and trash. 

It had been raining, and that was Bob's big mantra for weeks to come. He couldn't help the rain, of course, and our frustration was hurting his feelings. The trench that had been dug for plumbing and electric was filling with muddy water. On one of the work days, a neighbor told me that she saw one of the workers flip someone off in front of our house. Classy and professional. By this time in the process, I was twitchy most of the time. I was in the middle of everyone involved in the project, and no one was happy. 

We finally ended up getting concrete forms laid out by a company on a Friday in July. It was cool to see how things were going to look! When Monday rolled around, no concrete guys. Huh? They had done all the work just days before to prepare to pour, but no one showed up. It turned out that Bob was doing a favor for a friend by hiring him to do the concrete work, and the guy left all the forms at our house and went on vacation for a week. RED FLAG #6: although I can appreciate helping out a friend, hiring someone who is about to go on vacation is just dumb. Bob scrambled and came up with another concrete company who then came out, pulled up all the original forms, and put their own forms down. Before they could start, though, they needed to meet with Bob at our house. A meeting time was set up, and no one from Region Pool and Spa showed up. Bob didn't even answer his phone. The concrete guys had to leave without doing anything, and I spent most of the afternoon crying. It wasn't just that the work wasn't getting done; it was all the lying. I would have been so much happier to be told the truth and known what to expect instead of having to hear the constant lies. 

I was finally able to meet with Bob, the concrete guy (yes, I know his name, but I'm keeping him out of this,) and my dad. RED FLAG #7: note that this took place on July 7, 2021, so we were past being able to swim by July 4. I will never forget this meeting for the rest of my life. It was raining, because of course it was, and we were all standing under the canopy of some trees in our backyard. Now, if you know my dad, you know that he was a high school teacher and coach for thirty years. He's tough, but he's fair. He can get his point across calmly, matter-of-factly, and without raising his voice. That day, he expressed his unhappiness with the pace of the project. He understood that the rain was hampering things, but we had also simply been lied to about quite a few things by then. He knew the toll it was taking on our family, me in particular. If you're a parent, you get it. His baby was unhappy, and my dad didn't like that. There was no yelling or disrespect from him at all; he simply wanted the work done that should have already been done. RED FLAG #8: as soon as both my dad and the concrete guy left, Bob cried to me about how mean my dad was, that no one understood how hard he was working for us, and how hard his life was. Now, when I say he cried, I don't mean he complained or vented; I mean the man actually wept tears to me, his client. I stood there, utterly dumbstruck. He eventually left to cry alone, I assume. The whole thing was so bizarre and unprofessional, and it only got worse. Bob called me later that night to tell me that the whole scene with my dad had upset him so much that he had gone home and taken a Xanax to calm down. (Is this RED FLAG #9 or does this go with RED FLAG #8? I'm going to go with #9.) Not only that, but Bob claimed that the concrete guy was so offended by my dad that he didn't want my dad anywhere near my property while the concrete was being poured. That was going to be an issue as my parents live approximately 50 yards away from me, and my dad was going to check on the concrete the day it was being poured because I was taking the kids to Six Flags. No, I didn't plan it that way because I didn't know from day to day if we would have work being done or not. My dad, being a reasonable man, asked me to get the concrete guy's number so he could call him himself. When I asked Bob for the number, he wanted to know why I wanted it. He seemed nervous about me having it and he advised that my dad not contact the concrete guy. I lied to Bob and told him that I just wanted it in case anything went wrong. Psych! My dad called the concrete guy that evening, and he found out that the concrete guy had never said he wanted my dad to stay away. He actually told my dad that he was welcome to drop by anytime to check out the work. Wait, you mean Bob lied to us...again? RED FLAG #10. 

More red flags to come!