EVACUATE NOW!!

I was born with nerve deafness. My earliest tests confirmed a loss of about 80% in both ears while recent tests have indicated a loss of about 90%. The loss has led to a few experiences over the years that very easily could have resulted in my demise but with the passage of time, seem rather humorous. One such incident occurred in a hotel in Las Vegas.

I had been commuting from my home to Las Vegas every Monday and then flying home late Friday while working on a project at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Over the course of a year and a half I am sure I stayed at every hotel in town but mostly at a casino/hotel called Arizona Charlie’s because of its proximity to our office and the Speedway. I stayed there so often that I was on a first name basis with almost the entire staff. They knew me well, for example, due to many complaints lodged by other guests over the loud television in my room it became routine for the hotel to put me in a room at the far end of the hall way with no guests within several rooms of mine. They were very considerate.

One morning I went down to the coffee shop about 6:30 for breakfast. As the hostess seats me she asks “How did you sleep last night?” I said “Great, why?” She proceeded to explain to me that about 3 o’clock in the morning a guest had been “cooking” drugs, or whatever it is druggies do, in his room and there had been an explosion. As fire broke out, all hell broke loose. While alarms blared urgent calls were made to the fire department and paramedics. Once on scene some of the fire department battled the blaze while others pounded on doors, rousted people out of their rooms and the casino and evacuated the hotel. All except me. Since I obviously don’t sleep with my hearing aids on, I had been oblivious to everything, even the pounding on the door.

By the time I had come down for breakfast that morning everything had returned to normal. Except for the fire damaged part of the hotel people had returned to their rooms and the casino was in full swing. There was evidence that something had gone on during the night but if the hostess had not told me the story I would have learned about the fire in the paper the next day.