I was workin the front desk at the rec center, ya know, handin out towels and chekin memeberships. It was a pretty slow afternoon, just a few familes here and there, the kinda quiet that makes you think maybe today will be an easy day. My mind was driftin, like it sometimes does, thinkin about what kinda old buttons I might find at the thrift store this weekend, tryin to picture the diffrent styles from way back when people wore fancy things just to go to the market. I got this knack for seein patterns, even in old buttons, and sometimes it helps me see patterns in people too, or at least how things are gonna go down.
Then this guy walks up, prolly no older than 22 or 23. He had that kinda swagger, like he owned the place, even though I knew for a fact he didn’t. He had on these real pricy lookin sneekers, the kinda ones with a thousand air bubbles in the sole, and a t-shirt that had some big fancy logo I didn’t recognize but knew was expensiv. He looked all pumped up, ready to hit the gym, but his eyes had this look, like he expected me to just wave him through. I could smell the strong, sweet smoke of a vape pen on him, even though he wasn’t usin it right then, and it told me he probably didn’t follow many rules.
He just kinda leaned on the counter, not even sayin hello. He pointed to the turnstile to the gym area. I knew what he wanted. He hadn’t scanned nuthin. I just looked at him, waitin for him to say somethin. He just stared back, like I was the dumb one. I felt that little tingle of a pattern startin to form in my head, the one where someone thinks they’re special. He didn’t have a card, no guest pass, nuthin in his hand but his phone.
I spoke up, polite like I always am first. I told him he needed a memebership or a day pass to get in. He just laughed, a little snort that sounded fake. He said he was here with a friend, and his friend was already inside, so he should just be able to go. I knew that wasn’t how it worked. We got rules for a reason. I tried to explain that everyone needs their own pass, even if their friend is inside. He got a little red in the face then. He said he was a “big deal” around town, that his family donated a lot of money to things. I didn’t recognize him or his family name. I’d been workin here for years, and I’d never seen him.
He started to get louder, kinda tappin his phone on the counter real hard. He said it was rediculous, that he was bein held up for no reason, and that I was bein rude. He even said I didn’t know who I was talkin to. I just stayed calm, tellin him the rules again. My patience was wearin thin. I could feel it, like a little bubble gettin bigger in my chest. I knew this kinda person, the one who thinks the world should just bend to their will. It wasn’t fair to all the other people who paid and followed the rules.
Just then, a woman and her teen kid walked up behind him, waitin in line. The woman, she looked like she’d seen better days, tired but with this kinda set jaw. Her kid was tall, kinda hunched over their phone, lookin like they wanted to be anywhere but there. I could tell from the way the kid was standin, all slouched, that they were used to their mom bein loud. The woman kinda huffed a little at the guy in front of her, makin a point to stand a little too close to his back. I could tell she was gettin annoyed by his ruckus.
The guy, he was still goin on about how he should get in free. He even kinda shoved his phone across the counter a bit, like he was makin a point. I picked it up slow and put it back in front of him. That made him really mad. He started to yell, sayin he was gonna report me to my boss, to the city council, to everyone he knew. He made a big show of pullin out his phone, pretending to call someone important, but he was just scrollin through contacts real fast. I knew the pattern, knew he was just tryin to scare me.
That’s when the lights flickered. Not just a little dim, but completely off for a second, then back on, then off again. The whole computer system rebooted with a little bleep-boop sound. Everything went dark for a moment, then came back on. The computer screens blinked, then showed the start-up logo. My registers were messed up. The whole building got quiet for a second, then people started to mutter. Some of the machines in the gym probly stopped. It was a real pain, just when this guy was makin a scene.
The entitled guy, he used the distraction. He threw his hands up in the air like “see, everything’s goin wrong!” and then he just kinda stalked off towards the locker rooms, hopin no one would notice. But I noticed. My eye caught him, and I knew he was tryin to sneak in. I called out to him, told him he needed to come back. He just ignored me and kept goin. I knew I couldn’t leave the desk, but I also knew he wasn’t gettin in for free.
The woman behind him, Karen, she stepped up to the counter. She had this look on her face, like she’d just won the lottery. She pointed to where the guy had disappeared. She said, a little too loud, “Well, he just walked in, so I guess I should get in for free too! This has been a huge inconvenience. That whole scene, and now the power’s out and your computers are down. I should get a free day pass for all this trouble.” Her kid just kinda pulled on her arm, whisperin somethin, but she shook them off.
I was so tired of it. First the arrogant guy, now her. My blood started to boil. I was tryin to get the computers back up, and she was demandin a freebie for someone else makin a scene. It wasn’t fair. I took a deep breath, countin to three in my head, but it didn’t help much. I looked her dead in the eye, and my voice got a little sharper. “Ma’am,” I said, “that man did not get in for free. And the power flickerin has nuthin to do with you payin for your pass.”
She folded her arms and squinted at me. “Yes he did! He just walked right past you. I saw him! And now I’ve been standin here for ten minutes because of him and your faulty electricity. I deserve a free pass. It’s only fair.” She started to tap her foot, real hard. Her kid looked like they were gonna sink into the floor.
I felt my own anger bubble up, hot and fast. This wasn’t about fairness; it was about her wantin somethin she hadn’t earned. I slammed my hand lightly on the counter, makin her jump a little. “No,” I said, my voice louder than I meant it to be. “He didn’t get in. And you’re not gettin a free pass for watchin someone else try to break the rules. You want to use the gym, you pay for it, just like everyone else.” I felt a little bad for bein so loud, but she was makin me mad, just like the other guy.
She gasped, like I’d just insulted her whole family. She started yellin about my customer service, about callin my manager. I pointed to the phone. “Feel free,” I said, “but I’m tellin you the same thing my manager will.” I didn’t even bother to call my manager. I knew they were busy tryin to figure out what was up with the power grid, and frankly, I felt like I could handle this one myself. I watched as the teen tugged on Karen’s arm again, harder this time, their face bright red. Karen shot them a glare, but she saw I wasn’t budgin. She finally, grumblin and huffin, pulled out her credit card and swiped it when the system finally came back online, slow and buggy.
She grabbed her receipt and stomped off, her kid practically runnin to keep up, lookin back at me with a look that said “I’m so sorry.” I didn’t say nuthin, just watched them go. The kid looked so embarrassed, like this was just a normal day for them, bein dragged along by their mom makin a scene. It made my chest ache a little, thinkin about what that kid had to put up with. I just hoped they could get away from it all once they got inside the gym.
