Gary is loyal. Some might call it “stubborn and set in his ways,” but I call it loyal. For example, he has a favorite movie theater. There’s nothing great or special about this theater. The only thing I like about it is that they finally repainted it a grown-up maroon, instead of the carnival of purple / yellow / purple and yellow paint jobs it has had over the last 30 years.
Inside the theater, he has a favorite screen, and it is the Bistro screen, where you can order food and drinks. He never orders there, but for some reason he likes it best.
This last time we went to the theater, a staffer saw Gary in line for a soda and said to me, “You guys are going to the Bistro screen, right? He should order the soda there.”
“Oh, he doesn’t like to do that.”
“It’s cheaper ordering it in there.”
“Doesn’t matter to him.”
The guy confessed. “You’re required to order something now if you’re in the Bistro theater. It’s a new rule.”
“Oh, then I’ll let him know.” And I thought, “He won’t like this at all.”
Gary grumbled as I told him, but then he sighed loudly and agreed. He tried to order the soda at the entrance from the hostess, but she insisted we go ahead to our seats and use the call button.
We sat down, hit the call button, and then Gary asked me if I had any singles, since all he had were fives and tens. Why? Because we had to tip the woman when she brought the soda.
“No, I don’t, but you don’t have to … oh, never mind, of course you do. Use your card?”
“I’m not doing that. This is awful. I hate this.”
And it was awful. He handed her a five, said “keep the change,” then she came back and said it was $5.13. So he handed her a ten, and said “Keep the change,” because speaking of change, he cannot. He growled, “I hate this. We can never use the Bistro screen again.” He then offered me a sip of his soda. “Wanna try this? It’s a fifteen dollar soda.”
2 responses to “Soda at the Movies”
I am helpless with affectionate laughter. I wish I had filmed Eve the first time she had to use our new mailbox – there’s a bank of them around the other end of the crescent and ours used to be right in the middle of the middle bank of three and now it’s on the left and far down. She made the biggest production of having to stretch her aching back ALL THE WAY DOWN and moaning. I mocked her, but truthfully I hate the new mailbox too. Change is hard.
Allison – I can picture that! I would protest a low mailbox and play the age card.