It sounds to me like you and he DID work thru this. You (plural) linked your request to his vacation. It was your classic tantrum, just like my classic tantrum when my t went on vacation was to ask if he was going to stop by my apartment on his way to/from the apartment. As you can see, i like the classic tantrum aspect of it. I think thats when you know youve hit paydirt. Plus it simplifies things. Which is what a schema is/does.