The moment he heard the idea, Chuck was against it. It isn't the kind of thing he feels comfortable doing. He'd rather not save the fifty dollars if that's what we had to do.

Actually, it was the Handlers' suggestion. They were going to select the hotel we would be staying in at Hartford. They would reserve our room in their name. And they would use their entertainment card which entitled them to a fifty dollar discount. All we'd have to do is pay the bill.

I'd already made a reservation in our name, which Chuck canceled through the internet. That was before he found out about how the Handlers' plan would work. That's when he objected. "I'm not going to pretend to be someone I'm not," he declared irately.

What's the worst thing that could happen? I asked. So we'll say there was some mix-up and we'll pay full price. Somehow, despite Chuck's objections, I prevailed.

We arrived at the hotel and Chuck went to check in. No one questioned him. The clerk gave him the hotel reservation and the fifty dollar discount. It was as easy as that. Chuck relaxed.

We'd planned to meet the Handlers for dinner. They were going to telephone us about six. It was already six-thirty and we hadn't heard from them.

"I bet they forgot that we're registered in their names," Chuck said, getting irate all over again. "I bet they're calling and asking for the Burgers." Chuck was sure they would spoil everything and he was getting upset all over again.

When the Handlers finally did telephone, it was 6:45. Yes, they had forgotten that we were registered as the Handlers. But the situation was even more complicated. They had actually reached a Chuck Burger! A Chuck Burger had checked into the room next to ours on the day preceding our arrival.

We were astonished at this information. It had to be a hoax. Had someone neglected to cancel our reservation? Was someone using our name and credit card to pay for his room? Would we be charged twice? How would we resolve the mix-up? Chuck was getting upset all over again.

Chuck located his internet cancellation confirmation with our cancellation number. As a lawyer, he could now be reasonably certain that we wouldn't be charged for our canceled reservation. Even though he thought we deserved to be. For our dishonesty.

After dinner, we set out to unravel the mix-up. Phil and I sat in the lobby while Maddy and Chuck looked into the situation. They returned shortly with the news that it was all true. Another Chuck Burger really had checked in the day before and really was occupying the room next to ours. He was also a lawyer and he was receiving faxes. The middle initial on the faxes was J, not N.

So the mystery was solved. We weren't being swindled. And our deception hadn't been discovered. But it was a close call. A coincidence of this sort was practically impossible. But it had happened.

So I doubt Chuck will ever consent to another ruse like that again. Not even for a discount. Because who knows? It was practically impossible. But it had happened once and it could happen again. Another Chuck Burger might show up.

November 2000
BB