Trying to be cool

This month’s winner is CAROL H. PROBST of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania:

Eight years ago, my husband and I visited the country of Jordan, where a highlight of our trip was a day spent touring the site of Petra. 

Checking into our hotel that evening, we found that, despite the cool weather, our room was stiflingly warm. I fiddled with the thermostat on the wall, but only hot air came out of the vent. Eventually, I gave up and phoned the front desk.

I wasn’t quite sure the clerk clearly understood our situation, but he sent someone up to fix the problem. Help soon arrived, but the man didn’t speak English, so we pointed to the thermostat and mimicked fanning ourselves from overheating. 

The man looked at us incredulously, then walked over to our window and opened it. Belatedly, it dawned on us: the hotel had no air-conditioning, only a heating unit. Flushed with embarrassment, we tipped the gentleman generously.