Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Never Get in Line Behind Me
If you ever see me in line at the grocery store, a convenience store, or the bank, never get in line behind me. I always choose the wrong line. Something happens every time. Someone in my line has a heart attack, a baby, or at the very least, they have to write a check and can't find their checkbook. Everyone in front of me never gets their method of payment out until the clerk is completely finished processing their purchase. Since I know that you are extremely interested in this subject, let me tell you about an incident that happened last Saturday. I went to the bank to make a deposit through the drive-up lane. There were two drive-up lanes and one car in each one. Now, I think it is logical to wait back a ways for the first one that opens up, but people who come to drive-up windows are not logical--just impatient. Well, someone came up behind me and I always look in the mirror to see how impatient they are. This guy was straining to look around me and bobbing his head around impatiently because he wondered why I didn't just pick a lane and pull up. One time I was waiting like that and a young guy pulled around me giving me a nasty gesture and grabbed a lane in front of me. Well, from then on, when I see the impatience of the person behind me, I just give in and pick a lane and pull up. That's what I did this time. I picked the right lane because that car had been there the longest--at least five minutes. When I got behind the car I saw there was an old lady inside and she was parked at least three feet away from the tube. Then I noticed that she had not even put her stuff in the tube! She was bobbing around in the car as if there was a mouse loose in there. I have no clue what she was doing. Finally, she lowered her window and reached out for the tube. Her hand only went about half way there, so she pulled it back in, opened the door, got out and got the container. Then it took her another minute or two to put her stuff in the container, get out again, and finally send it to the teller. Meanwhile, the guy that was behind me was just pulling out after finishing his transaction in the left lane. A second car completed their transaction in the left lane before the container came back for the lady in front of me. Of course she had to get out again to get it and get back in. I watched her bob around again for a minute or so (I guess the mouse was still loose), and finally she got out again to put the container back in the tube. Now, I have learned from experience that a woman will seldom simply put the car in drive and pull away after completing a transaction. This one was not an exception. She had to put the money in the right place in her purse (which was on the other side of the car), check herself out in the mirror, start the car, put it in drive, check the rear view mirror to see if there was anyone behind her waiting, and FINALLY SHE PULLED AWAY. As I pulled up to the tube, I noticed the third car pulling away in the left lane.
