The sun was high in the sky, warm and bright. Many people were outside on this day. I like days like this. I was standing in line for ice cream. It was a long line, but everyone seemed happy. The air smelled sweet, like sugar cones and vanilla. I looked around, noticing small things. A child with bright yellow shoes, a lady holding a small dog. I often notice small things. I have a collection of old buttons at home, very tiny ones from clothes that do not exist anymore. Some are from the 1800s. I like to see the details.
The line moved slowly, step by step. Ahead of me, there was a family, a father and two small boys, talking about what flavors they would get. Behind me, a young couple was laughing quietly. The whole place felt calm and relaxed. It was a good day to be out. I had plans to visit the market after this, to see if any new old buttons had arrived.
Then, a woman came walking fast. She had a small child with her, a boy who looked maybe six or seven years old. He held her hand, but he looked down at his shoes. The woman had hair that was very light, almost white, and it was tied back in a messy way. She wore a bright pink top and tight pants. I saw a small tattoo on her left wrist, a tiny bird with very long tail feathers, like a Resplendent Quetzal, but very small. She looked around like she was important, like the line was not for her. She was not super tall, and her body was a bit round, but she held her head up high, like she thought she was the most beautiful person in the whole world. Her face was set in a way that seemed to say she was always right.
She did not go to the back of the line. Instead, she walked right past many people. She went almost to the very front, where only a few people were waiting. She stopped near a tall man with a big hat, who was next in line. The man looked at her. He seemed confused. The woman stood there, not saying anything, just looking forward at the ice cream counter. Her child stood close to her, still looking at his shoes. He did not look surprised, almost like he was used to this kind of thing.
The man in the big hat cleared his throat. He said something softly to her, about the line. The woman turned her head slowly to him. Her eyes were not friendly. She put her hand on her hip. She said something back, but I could not hear the exact words from where I was. It seemed she was telling him that she was going to stay there. The man looked surprised, then a little angry. He tried to speak again, but she just turned her back to him, facing the counter again. It was clear she thought she was special.
A few people in front of me started to whisper. A lady behind the big-hat man looked upset. The calm feeling of the line began to change. People were now looking at the woman with the pink shirt, not at the ice cream. The woman’s child tugged on her shirt gently. She just shook him off and did not look down. He sighed a little, a very small sound.
The man with the big hat sighed too. He did not want to make a big fight. He just looked at the ice cream counter, waiting. But then, a young woman, maybe in her late twenties, stepped forward from her place in the middle of the line. She had short, curly brown hair and a kind face. She was not loud, but her voice was clear. She spoke to the woman in pink. She said something like, “Excuse me, but the line starts back there. Many people have been waiting for a long time.”
The woman in pink turned again. Her face looked like a storm was coming. She made a sound that was like a short laugh, not a nice one. She said something about how she was very busy, and she did not have time to wait like everyone else. She seemed to think this was a very good reason. Her child looked up for a moment, then quickly down again.
The curly-haired woman did not get angry. She just nodded her head. She spoke again, very calmly. She said something like, “Oh, I understand being busy. It is hard to wait sometimes. But everyone here is busy too. And it is a very long wait from the back. Many, many minutes.” She paused, then said, “I mean, it could be a whole half hour, even more, just standing there.”
The woman in pink looked at the curly-haired woman, then back at the ice cream counter, then back at the curly-haired woman. Her eyes were thinking, but maybe not very fast. She seemed to be trying to understand what the curly-haired woman meant. She seemed to think that the curly-haired woman was agreeing with her, in a strange way. She puffed out her chest a little.
Suddenly, there was a loud crash. A worker behind the ice cream counter had dropped a whole stack of plastic cups. They bounced and rolled all over the floor, making a lot of noise. Everyone in the line, even the woman in pink, looked towards the sound. The worker looked embarrassed and started to pick them up quickly. This was a short moment of distraction, but it made everyone turn their heads. The calm young woman with curly hair used this small moment.
When everyone looked back, the curly-haired woman was still talking. She said, “You know, if you start from the back of the line, it makes you look like a very fair person. A person who cares about others. Someone who understands how long everyone has waited. And that shows a lot of strength, to wait when you are so busy.” She made it sound like waiting in line was a special, very smart thing to do. “Some people,” she continued, “they don’t understand that. They just rush in. But someone like you, who is so smart, you would know how important it is to set a good example.”
The woman in pink looked surprised by these words. Her angry face changed a little. She looked at her child, then at the curly-haired woman, then at the very long line behind her. She seemed to be imagining herself going to the back. It was like she was picturing everyone seeing her walk all the way back, and thinking she was a very good, strong, and fair person. Her face softened, just a tiny bit. It was not a happy look, but it was not an angry one either.
She pulled her child a little closer. She turned away from the counter, slowly. She looked at the long line. She made a huffing sound, like she was annoyed, but also like she was making a very big decision. She said something in a low voice, like, “Well, if it is about setting an example…” Then she started to walk. She did not walk to the very back, but she moved a lot further back than where she had been standing before. She stopped somewhere in the middle, still ahead of many people, but far behind where she had tried to cut. She stood there with her arms crossed, still looking a little angry, but she was in the line now. Her child looked up at her, and then, for the first time, I saw him give a very tiny, quick smile. Then he looked at his shoes again.
The curly-haired woman gave a small, almost hidden smile. She turned back to her spot in line, and the line slowly started to move again. People did not clap or cheer, but a quiet calm came back. The man in the big hat looked relieved. The woman in pink stood in her new spot, tapping her foot, still looking annoyed, but she stayed there. No one else said anything to her. She got her ice cream much later, after many people. She did not get any special treatment. It seemed like she had decided, all by herself, to be a good example, even if she did not really want to be in the line.
