The sun was high and hot on my face. My birthmark, a small dark spot on my left thumb, felt warm. I looked at it for a moment, then back at the very long line. We were at the big amusement park, waiting to get on the newest ride. Everyone wanted to ride the Cosmic Twister. I waited for a long time already. The line moved slow, like a snail. This was okay for me. I like to watch people. My friend, Mark, was in front of me. He looked bored, but he always looked a bit bored. Mark was good at waiting. He knew how to deal with things. He had worked at places with many people before. He learned how to stay calm.
Suddenly, a loud noise came from behind. Not a happy laugh noise, more like a pushing noise. I turned my head. A woman was trying to squeeze past people. She had a very big, shiny flamingo pinned to her shirt. It was bright pink and green. Her teenage boy was with her. He had a grumpy face, like he did not want to be there. The woman, who I will call the Flamingo Lady in my head, kept pushing. She did not say sorry. She just moved her body into the small spaces. People looked at her with surprised eyes. They tried to move out of her way.
The Flamingo Lady got close to where I was standing. She had a determined look. Her boy mumbled something. I could not hear it. She just pulled him along. She got past me, then past a few more people. Then she tried to get past Mark. Mark was standing still. He did not move much. He was like a big rock.
The Flamingo Lady put her hand on Mark’s shoulder. It was not a nice touch. It was more like a push. She said something. Her voice was not loud yet, but it had a demanding sound. Mark turned his head slowly. He looked at her hand. Then he looked at her face. His eyes were calm, like always.
He told her that the line starts at the back. He used a polite voice, but it was a firm voice too. The Flamingo Lady did not like this. Her face got a bit red. She explained that she did not have time to wait in such a long line. She said she was special. She had important things to do. She pointed to her son, saying they had to go to another part of the park. The boy just stared at his feet. He looked like he wanted to disappear.
Mark still had that calm look. He said that everyone in the line also wanted to ride the Cosmic Twister. He said everyone had waited for a long time. He pointed to the back of the line with his chin. It was very, very far away. He said that was where she needed to go.
This made the Flamingo Lady angry. Her voice got much louder. She started talking about how rude Mark was. She said he had no right to tell her what to do. She said she would talk to a manager. She yelled that she paid good money to come to this park. Her flamingo brooch seemed to bob up and down with her words. Her teenage son shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He looked around, hoping no one was watching him. But many people were watching now. People near us had stopped talking. Their eyes were on the Flamingo Lady.
Then, something even stranger happened. A young man, maybe around twenty-two years old, with very spiky hair and dark sunglasses, walked right up to the Flamingo Lady. He had not been in the line at all. He just came from the side, like he owned the place. He looked at the Flamingo Lady, then at Mark, then at the empty space in front of Mark. He pushed past the Flamingo Lady. He tried to stand in front of Mark!
The Flamingo Lady was surprised. Her mouth hung open for a second. She turned to the young man. She told him he could not just cut in front of her. She had been trying to get this spot for a while, she said. The young man just laughed. He had a really arrogant sound to his laugh. He said something like he was more important than both of them. He said he had a VIP pass, but he did not show one. He just tried to stand there.
Now there were two people trying to cut the line right in front of Mark. It was like a little show. The Flamingo Lady forgot she was mad at Mark. Now she was mad at the spiky-haired young man. She started pushing him back. She said she was here first. Even though she had just tried to cut the line herself. Her son looked even more embarrassed. He mumbled something about just leaving.
Mark just watched them. He did not get involved in their fight. He just stood still. He waited. He was like a referee watching a strange game. The Flamingo Lady was still holding onto her son’s arm. He tried to pull away. In the struggle, his arm swung out. He hit a small stand that was holding a sign. The sign fell down with a clatter. It did not break, but it made a big noise. A park employee, a young woman with a nametag, heard the noise. She looked over. Her eyes got wide when she saw the two people arguing and the fallen sign. She started walking towards them.
Mark finally spoke again. His voice was still calm, but now it was a bit louder, so the young man and the Flamingo Lady could hear him clearly over their arguing. He told them that fighting would not make the line move faster. He said that it was making things worse for everyone. He told the spiky-haired young man that he also needed to go to the back of the line. He said that rules were for everyone. He said it in a way that made it sound like a simple fact, like the sky is blue.
The park employee reached them. She looked at the fallen sign. Then she looked at the Flamingo Lady and the young man. She asked what was happening. The Flamingo Lady started talking very fast. She said Mark was rude. She said the young man was cutting in line. She forgot that she was also cutting in line. The young man just crossed his arms and looked away, like he was not part of the problem.
The park employee listened. She seemed a little confused. Then she looked at Mark. Mark just pointed to the back of the line again. He did not say anything this time. Just pointed. His finger was steady.
The line began to move a little faster then. I had to step forward. Mark stepped forward too. The park employee was still talking to the Flamingo Lady and the spiky-haired young man. I could not hear what they were saying anymore. The big Cosmic Twister ride was getting closer. The noises of the ride were louder. I had to look forward now. I could not see the Flamingo Lady anymore. My view was blocked by other people and a big pillar for the ride. I wondered if they went to the back of the line, or if they were still arguing. I thought about Mark. He seemed to handle it all without getting upset. That was a useful skill. I sometimes get upset when things do not go as planned. But today, even with the pushing and yelling, I felt a kind of quietness inside me, just watching. It was a strange afternoon at the park. I hoped the ride was good.
