We all make mistakes, but some professional errors carry more immediate consequences than others. Bob, a man accustomed to the solemn quiet of his work as an undertaker, discovered this when he arrived home with a spectacular black eye. His wife, naturally concerned, demanded an explanation. What followed was a story of mistaken identity that blurred the lines between a mortician’s duty and a monumental invasion of privacy.
Bob explained he’d been called to a hotel to retrieve the body of a man who had died in his bed. The hotel manager had prepped him for a complication, explaining that a massive erection was preventing the staff from getting the deceased into a body bag. It was an unusual but not unheard-of situation in his line of work. Bob went to the room, ready to resolve the issue with professional detachment.
He entered to find the scene exactly as described: a large, naked man on the bed with a significant erection. Without hesitation, and viewing it purely as a physical obstacle to be overcome, Bob took direct action. He grabbed the erection with both hands, intending to bend it out of the way so he could proceed with the somber task of preparing the body for removal.
His wife nodded, understanding the grim reality of his profession. Still, the source of his facial injury was unclear. If the man was dead, who had thrown the punch? Bob’s reply cut through the confusion with perfect, painful clarity. He had, in a moment of profound carelessness, walked into the wrong hotel room. The man he had assaulted was a very alive, very startled stranger who was simply taking a nap. The black eye was the stranger’s instantaneous and justified response to being woken in such a shocking and violent manner, a price Bob paid for his lack of attention to a simple room number.
