Dateline Boston — I am particular. I like things done a certain way. And I am an avid rule follower. Question authority? Not me! I will do something just because it is written or a person of authority tells me to, no matter how ridiculous it sounds. Except for jaywalking. I do that all the time.
One thing I am particular about is lines. When there’s a sign that says “Line starts here,” that is where you stand. There is a reason why the line “starts here.” The other night Husband and I went to our local independent movie theater. The line there always forms the same way. You stand against the wall, and move up to one of the two windows when it is your turn. Well, wasn’t I shocked to see a couple standing at the opposite place where they should have been, and a woman standing behind them! They were blocking the pathway (which is why the line forms as it does, against the wall).
Don’t You Know Better?
I grimaced. I made eyes at the woman in front of us. She smiled apologetically. She knew the rules. The couple in front of her did not, clearly. I smiled and waved my hand in a “step aside” gesture, hoping that everyone would follow my instructions. The woman in front of us moved to where I wanted her to/she should have been, but the couple looked at me like I was from another planet. I think the woman may have rolled her eyes. They got their tickets and glanced at me as they walked away. I called out after them, “I’m not always like this!”
But I usually am. We got into the lobby, and I wanted popcorn. But I also wanted to save seats because the movie we were seeing was in the small theater. I hemmed and hawed for a few seconds until Husband came to my rescue. He offered to buy the snacks while I got the seats. I took seats all the way at the top, leaving two next to us for a couple. In that theater, it’s like an anthropology study. People walk in and scan the room. Most of them talk to each other, weighing the pros and cons of each location. There is gesturing and waving of hands. Each time a new couple came into the theater and performed the same ritual, I hoped that they would choose the seats next to us, so we wouldn’t have to move if they came in late. Finally, a couple chose the seats next to us, and I said to them, “At last! We’ve been waiting for you guys for 20 minutes!” They laughed. Thank goodness they had a sense of humor.
The woman who had been in front of us in the ticket line happened to sit beside us. We laughed about the line, and I said, “You should see me at CVS.” I said it was hard to know if one should make four separate lines, one for each register, or should one make one long line, and wait to be called? The woman nodded absentmindedly, not having ever considered it, and looking like she had no interest in doing so. At that point I realized I had overstepped my oversharing boundaries. I shut up.
Sometimes it’s hard to know where to, uh, draw the line. Do I say something? Do I keep my mouth shut? I make decisions like this several times a day. Whether I embarrass myself or not, I always start with, “I gotta be me.” Just stand in line in the right place. Okay?
Ms. Vaillancourt may be contacted at snobbyblog@gmail.com
