The line for that new dessert place in the mall was always ridiculous, especially on a Saturday afternoon. It snaked all the way past the fountain and almost to the big toy store. I was pretty far back, just trying to pass the time by watching people go by. Sometimes, when my brain felt a little fuzzy from all the noise, I’d trace the little maple leaf birthmark on the back of my hand. It was a perfect little shape, and doing that kind of helped me think.
I wasn’t in a huge rush for my fancy custard swirl, but I really wanted to try it. Everyone was talking about it. So I just waited patiently like everyone else, moving up a little bit every few minutes. The whole mall was pretty loud, with music from different stores and kids yelling and all that. It was a lot to take in, but mostly, it was just people living their lives.
Then I noticed her. She was a young woman, maybe around my age, like nineteen or twenty. She had a lot of confidence in the way she walked, like she owned the whole mall. Her hair was really bright blonde, almost white, and she had on a tight sparkly top that seemed a bit much for daytime. She was with a guy who looked just like her, with the same kind of confident, almost grumpy, look on his face. He kept checking his phone and sighing really loud.
They walked straight past everyone in the line, not even looking at the long row of people waiting. It was like they didn’t even see us, just a bunch of air in their way. She got right up to the front, where this lady named Sarah was standing. Sarah was probably in her fifties, maybe a little older, with kind eyes and a calm way about her. She was almost at the counter, so close to getting her turn.
The young woman, without even a pause, just tried to push herself in front of Sarah. She didn’t say anything, just sort of wedged her shoulder forward. I saw Sarah gently put a hand up, not touching her, but just a little signal to say, “Hey, wait a minute.”
The young woman stopped and finally looked at Sarah. Her face got all bunched up, like she couldn’t believe someone was actually stopping her. She said something really fast, almost like a whine, about how she was in a hurry and needed to get her order now. She mentioned how important it was for her and her boyfriend to be quick because they had, like, a million other things to do. The guy with her just mumbled and looked at his shoes, then back at his phone, not really helping or looking like he cared much.
Sarah just smiled a small, tired smile. She told the young woman that everyone else was waiting too, and it was only fair to wait in line like everyone else. She explained that she had been waiting for a long time herself. It was all very polite, but firm. Sarah didn’t raise her voice at all. It was impressive, the way she handled it, like she’d done this a bunch of times before.
The young woman’s face turned kind of red. She started talking louder, saying that she had a right to be served right away. She said something about how she was a very busy person and how she probably spent more money at this mall than anyone in the whole line. She waved her hand around at all of us, like we were just scenery. Her boyfriend still wasn’t looking up, just making little huffing noises.
A few people behind Sarah started to whisper and shake their heads. Someone mumbled about how some people just think they’re special. I started tracing my maple leaf birthmark again, trying to follow what was happening. It was getting harder to understand why someone would act like that. Didn’t she see all the other people?
Sarah just blinked. She told the young woman again, very calmly, that everyone had waited, and it was simply the rule. She said she couldn’t let her cut in front. She looked a little sad, like she wished it wasn’t happening, but she wasn’t backing down. The young woman then tried a different approach. She puffed out her chest a little and tried to smile in a way that seemed like she thought it would make everyone agree with her. She said something about how maybe Sarah just didn’t understand how things worked for people like her. She really seemed to think her looks should give her special treatment, even though she didn’t look all that different from anyone else, just a bit louder.
Suddenly, the young woman’s boyfriend, who had been completely quiet, let out a really loud groan. He looked up from his phone with a very annoyed face. He told the young woman that he was absolutely starving and that he needed his sugar fix now. He said his feet were starting to ache from standing around, even though he hadn’t been standing in line at all. He complained that she was taking too long, and it was her fault he was so hungry. He really made a big deal out of it, like it was the worst thing in the world.
That made the young woman even more upset. She turned to her boyfriend and snapped at him, telling him to be quiet and that she was handling it. Then she turned back to Sarah, her eyes narrowed. She started getting really loud, saying that this was completely unacceptable and she was going to talk to the manager. She said she would make sure Sarah got into big trouble for being so difficult. She then yelled at the employees behind the counter to come out and help her, demanding to know where the manager was. But the employees just looked busy and didn’t really seem to notice her or want to get involved.
Sarah just stood there, still looking very calm. She slowly reached into her bag and pulled out her phone. She told the young woman that she was welcome to call the manager if she wanted, but that she would still need to wait in line. She held up her phone and just waited. It was a really smart move, I thought. It made the young woman hesitate, like maybe she didn’t actually want to call the manager right then.
The whole thing was getting really tense. People were staring now, and the noise from the mall seemed to have quieted down just a bit around us. I was still watching, kind of fascinated by how Sarah was so good at staying calm. I moved my finger over my maple leaf birthmark, trying to sort out all the angry feelings and the calm ones.
Just then, something else happened. Right in front of me, a little kid with a huge ice cream cone tripped. The cone went flying, and a big glob of bright blue ice cream landed right on the shiny floor with a splat. The kid started crying really loud, and his mom quickly bent down to help him. It was a big mess. Everyone around me turned to look at the blue ice cream and the crying kid. The mom was trying to get paper towels from her bag, and the kid was really wailing now.
I looked down at the mess for a second, then up at the mom and the kid. It was so sudden and loud. I started to wonder if the ice cream place would have someone clean it up. When I looked back towards the front of the line, where Sarah and the young woman had been, I couldn’t really see them anymore. The crowd had shifted, and a tall man had moved in front of me, blocking my view. I couldn’t tell if the young woman had finally left, or if Sarah had gotten her order, or if the manager had actually shown up. The ice cream drama was happening right in front of me, so I had to focus on that.
I never found out how it ended. I just felt a little bad for Sarah. She just wanted her dessert, like everyone else, and had to deal with all that yelling for no good reason. It seemed like a lot to go through just to get a treat.
