Journey to a Whole Lot of Flicks – Part 2



That was it. My heart started pounding in my chest, and I was ready to bite her head off (figuratively speaking). I decided then that I would not drop it until she gave me a satisfactory answer.



"If that's the case, what puzzles me is why we were asked to get a number and sent away when we were here in line more than 3 hours ago?" I managed to make it sound like a humble question. A woman in line quietly said, "It's all messed up now. They have no idea what they're doing. I'm #45, and these people in front of me are #52," her eyes met mine as if trying to persuade me, "there's no point arguing with them." I directed my attention back to the girl with the annoyingly innocent voice, "Correct me if I’m wrong. Does this mean that the numbers you gave out earlier today are completely meaningless now?" Then she did it. The girl lowered her eyes and stood in silence.

Her reaction just put m in a situation where I was the one who had “crossed the line” in the Taiwanese way of social conduct. By asking her a question that she could not answer (and her job at the Information Counter is to provide answers to customers), I had embarrassed her in public. Her silence was her way of showing shame to the others, and I was, by not doing what everyone else was doing, was the trouble maker. No one likes trouble makers. I learned that in school long time ago.



Since everyone in line had already accepted their fate and got in line before I showed up and because I just publicly embarrassed a poor girl behind the counter by asking a question, no one was going to back me up even though they all had their rights violated. An uncomfortable awkwardness clouded over us like a wet blanket, and everybody was fidgeting around avoiding eye contact with other people. The girl stood there like a statue with her head bowed to her chest. She knew that, if I had pushed the matter any further, I’d be viewed as a cold-blooded bully and nothing I said would matter anymore.

I, too, knew the rules of the game, so I offered a friendly smile to “the victim” and put on the soothing teacher’s voice I use whenever I have to fail a student, “I understand how difficult it must be for you girls to do your jobs while keeping everyone happy. Perhaps you should suggest to your superiors the reevaluation of the number system for next year.” Then I turned away and walked to the end of the line. With that, I put her right back into the ring.

30 seconds later, the girl came to apologize and offer to help solve my problem (she was trying to do her job now). She said she would ask the people in front of me if they’d mind letting me cut in line. In other words, her way of solving the problem is to create more problems. I watched as she carefully selected her targets –the shortest young couple in line. I turned away so she wouldn’t see me laughing. When I turned back around, I was shocked to learn that the short couple had agreed to let me go in front of them because they were #77. I moved from being the 9^th to the 5^th in line. I thanked the girl and everyone who were now behind me. Armed with the initial success, the girl made sure that the four people in front of me were also standing in order.

Almost immediately, the #77 couple regretted their decision. It just now occurred to them that they might have to give up their spot in line for everyone who came with a smaller number. Just when the couple was arguing about what to do, the girl brought over a woman who was fanning herself with a “62”. #77 was visibly displeased now. The girl begged them to let #62 cut in front of them and promised not to bring anyone else over.

People with numbers who arrived later all had to get to the end of the line. They didn’t question, and everyone in line had an agreement never to let anyone cut in front of them again.

22 tickets to 9 different movies at the 2008 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival.

We kept 4 vouchers just in case if there are any last-minute movies we want to watch.