If you haven't figured it out by now, I work nights.

The graveyard shift as I first heard it referred to.

I work this shift at a hotel, and life is usually pretty interesting for all that the city isn't very busy.

I get to meet a lot of people. Some of them strange, some of them pretty normal, and some of them are downright asses. Not in a good way either.

An incident that comes to mind right away, happened a little before midnight, as I was waiting on the bar to close down and bring me their paperwork.

A guy came in. A little overweight, receding hairline, no luggage. I thought that he might be waiting on a ride or something. That thought seemed to be proved a little when he asked if he could sit in the Lobby. I said that he was welcome to sit in the Lobby for a little while.

Well. That little while turned into about four and a half hours. And he just got a little stranger and stranger after the bar closed, not that he had gone into the bar.

At about one am the gentleman started to randomly laugh to himself. Of course being the Millennial that I am, I think that he's listening to an ipod or something while using the wifi we have.

Yeah that's blown out of the water when I see that he doesn't have any earbuds in, and I can't hear anything other than the quiet music that we had playing.

Next after I call audit (that's when I call our first hotel and tell them everyone is checked in, and they go about posting the room charge for those who stay the night with us) he starts talking to himself.

I'm talking enthusiastic nods, hand motions, and the periodic loud word/laugh.

Of course he's also still laughing periodically as well.

No one, and I mean NO ONE is over there by him. The only other person in the lobby is me, and this guy is facing away from me, and staring off at I don't even know what.

At this point it's around 3:30 am. And I am officially freaked out by this guy. Here I am the person manning the desk, female, and absolutely alone from the duration of when I call security on the walkie to when he gets up here. Usually about 5-10 minutes depending on where they are, and how well I can make the fact that I am ridiculously freaked out come across the radio.

In one of those strange twists of fate, before I can radio my security there he is! I tell him about this guy, and he says go ahead and call the PD. I call the non emergency line, and being the Dispatcher's Daughter that I am, I can give all the info.

Address: Check
Description: Check
Do I think he has any sort of weapons: No
Has he done anything suspicious: Not beyond freaking me out no m'am.
What exactly is he doing: Sitting in my Lobby, talking to himself with periodic laughter and hand motions.
Alright. We'll get some officers sent your way.

Being the dead of night, in a relatively small town, the PD gets here pretty quick. They ask for ID he has none, they ask where he lives, he refuses to respond, they escort him out of my Lobby and to his vehicle.

My security guy comes back in and says it looks like he's been living in his van, not to mention SG (Security Guy) says he's pretty sure he's seen the van around before....

Just a regular night at the Place of Elegance.

That night finished out calmly once the guy was gone. It was just one of those moments that brings into perspective that life can always be worse. No matter how bad you think you've got it.

-Jacq