Everybody Out of the Pool

The other day I headed to my local rec center for a yoga class. As I was checking in at the front desk I overheard an odd exchange between the girl behind the desk and a man surrounded by small children.
“What do you mean the pool is closed?”
“I’m sorry, sir, we’re having the pool painted and a few repairs done. It will be open next week.”
“So, you’re saying we can’t go swimming?”
“That’s right, the pool has been drained. They’re painting it.”
Now a hint of anger had crept into his voice.
“So we can’t go swimming?”
I’m sorry, sir, there is no water in the pool.”
Now, real anger.
“The pool is closed?!?”
“Yes sir, I’m sorry.”
Then he barked something at his kids and stormed out.
I thought to myself, “what a nut” and carried onto yoga. An hour later, stretched and centered, I headed out. As I passed the front desk I was struck by déjà vu.
“What do you mean the pool is closed?”
I stepped over to the bulletin board and pretended to need guitar lessons or something.
“Yes, ma’am, I’m sorry. They’ve drained it to paint it.”
This time it was a lady and she seemed to get the concept of an empty pool quicker than the man had, but she also got angry quicker.
“Why would you do that?!?”
In an interesting jump in logic, she seemed to assume all decisions involving the rec center fell to the girl at the front desk.
“It needed to be painted. We had actually had some complaints.”
“But it’s summer!”
“It is an indoor pool ma’am. Summer is actually the pool’s least busy time.”
With a huff she stormed out, somehow I could sense her writing a letter of complaint in her head. I couldn’t help inquiring at the front desk.
“Does that happen often?”
The girl smiled at me.
“Several times an hour.”
“Are they all like that.”
“Mostly.”
As I walked out of the rec center I glanced at the door. Sure enough, there was a sign announcing the closing of the pool and when it would reopen. I’m not sure if I noticed the sign on the way in or not. I would have disregarded it as swimming in an indoor pool during the summer seems somehow unnatural to me.
Why were these people so angry and indignant? I could understand some frustration, but why such anger at a minor inconvenience? I know they got the kids ready, which can be a pain in the ass, but my local rec center is not the only one. There are other places to go swimming without a membership. I can think of at least three of them only a ten minute drive away. I just don’t get it.