The Joys Of Travel

Business travel is so glamorous!  (At least that's what I'm told by people who don't regularly travel for their jobs, anyway.)

Here's a happy little example.  On my flight out to Telematics Update, I was standing in the line in Ottawa, waiting to check in.  A woman slides up right next to me (not behind me), as if she were my significant other or something.  I looked at her questioningly, but then went back to typing on my BlackBerry.

There was a couple in front of us, and she turns to me and said "Oh, I guess I won't get there sooner" all jovial like. I smiled because I had no idea what she was talking about, but then every time the line moved and I moved, she slid up alongside me.  I finally said to her, "you do realize I was in line here, right?" She said, "yes! You're in your line and I'm in mine." I wasn't sure what she meant by that, so I said that there was just one line here.  She started arguing with me that because there are two tellers there are two lines, and if hers clears first, she gets to go first. I told her there was a single line and multiple tellers allowed them to clear it more quickly, explaining to her as calmly as I could that she wasn't really following normal protocol. 

She got all indignant with me and said "you think I'm going to stand here arguing about lines with you? You'll get there either way!" She stopped the conversation, and proceeded to slide along side me the whole way up, loudly humming an annoying repetitve song and occasionally muttering "idiot" and many other barely audible little words under her breath.

You know, if she had needed to go first or had lots of luggage or kids or any half-lame excuse at all, even if she'd just politely asked me, I would have been happy to give her my place in line.  But just assuming she can go in front?  I guess the milk of human kindness needs it's fair side too.

As it turned out, I got to go first, because she eventually had to fall in behind when we got to the front--the opening between the velvet ropes wasn't wide enough for two.  She did end up on my plane, of course.  Despite being seated far in back of me in the plane, she rushed up the aisle as soon as we landed and stood right beside my seat so that I was unable to get out into the aisle.  I caught a glimpse of her snide smile back at me as she passed me.

Well, she sure showed me!

P.S. Did I mention my flight out was cancelled?  Good times.