Roy Richard - Hot Tub 

This was an assignment in a recent class I took on writing the Weird and Eerie. We had ten minutes to write of a recent occurrence and then to add or take away something that would seem weird. I ran out of time before I could expound on my ‘find’.

After fourteen years the hot tub sprouted so many leaks, I gave up trying to fix it. It was drained and a chainsaw used to cut the pieces in more manageable pieces. I had come to hate the thing. No one used it any longer and yet still I had to maintain it. Weekly chemical checks, keeping the temperature above freezing. I was not sorry to see it go.

My wife decided it must be replaced and one of the good things to come out of the pandemic was that no one had them in stock. Thank the stars, no more hot tub.

Recently my wife decided that we had waited long enough and started the conversation. Countless hours of research and measuring and mind numbing plans finally led to the purchase.

I thought it would be a no-brainer, electricity was already there. The overall size was smaller than the old one. Easy peasey, right?

It arrived early on a Saturday morning. The power box was on the wrong side, the wire used originally was too large and no one mentioned installing the cover lift before adding water.

Disgusted with all my wasted plans and trip to Menards left me a few hundred dollars lighter. I knelt in front of my newest cursed purchase and began to strip the wires to finish the connection. As I looked into the electrical box I saw an unbelievable sight, a vanilla ice cream cone.

Roy Richard 
June 2024