Strangers by the pool

Due to the strict Corona regulations, the number of tourists in the Algarve has drastically dropped. May, normally a very well booked month, was more than weak this year. No holiday flights from Europe or abroad and in addition, the border to Spain is closed for normal car traffic. And therefore many holiday flats and villas are empty. In our area an estimated 80% of all rental properties are related to tourism and can be found on the online booking portals.

The numerous vacant villas sometimes have a magical attraction for foreign guests. I remember an acquaintance who looked after the holiday home of a friend who lives in Germany. She took care of the bookings and the cleaning. If the villa was not rented out, she used the pool when the weather was fine. Especially on the weekends, she was sunbathing in the garden, with the consent of the owner. Não faz mal.

One villa in our neighbourhood was regularly visited by four young ladies who were responsible for cleaning the property. As they were well connected, they knew when the villa was vacant and then used the pool and garden privately. The entrance gate to the property was always unlocked and sun loungers around the pool were available. Unfortunately, their activities included bringing  their partners, the young daughter splashing in the pool etc. The telephone conversations with the family at home far away were quite animated and there were even loud disputes among them which the neighbours had no choice but to listen to. Which led to frowning.

Strictly speaking, the young ladies put their jobs at stake. If their activities went public, their behaviour could as well damage the reputation of their employer who was responsible for letting the villa, Provided the owner of the property did not know about what was going on, which seemed to be the case.

What to do? A neighbour recognised the voices of the maids who happened to be regular clients of her coffee shop. She wanted to offer a compromise, wrote a door notice with the request to please keep the conversations at the pool a little bit quieter, esp. on the weekends. With best regards from the neighbourhood. But this gentle hint was not being understood.

The businesswoman decided to take a different road which spontaneously came to her mind when it got quite loud again one Saturday afternoon at the pool next door. She decided to call in personally. She opened the unlocked garden gate and approached the pool area. Four young ladies were lying topless on their bellies on the sun loungers and enjoying themselves. One of them recognised the shop owner and spontaneously asked her to come closer. Which she did. She looked at the scenario silently for a long, short while, then wished the ladies a nice weekend and, without another word, disappeared as quickly as she had turned up.

From that day on there was peace and quiet at the pool. No further fuss was being made, and the vibes of silence have lasted until today. Touch wood.

© Solandra (May 31st, 2020)

Translated with the help of DeepL

Proofread by the author