This past weekend I visited Dana in Texas, but we didn’t stay in Texas. We crossed the border into the great state of Oklahoma on Sunday to visit her family in her hometown. It’s a small town too, and just as unfamiliar to me as the Texas towns she lives in now. Except I’ve now been there four times, and sorta know my way around. (I had to help her find her brother’s house!)
As we were driving past the movie theatre in this small town, we looked to see if they were showing Horton Hears a Who, a movie I had wanted to see. Though we had already seen two movies over the weekend, we felt we could afford the $3.50 each to see a first-run movie (yes, it was that cheap). Sure enough, they were showing it and Dana agreed to see it with me (though she had never read the book!).
This theatre is unlike any I’ve ever been to. The ticket counter doubles as the concession stand, separated by a half-wall. After I had already put the $3.50 on my card for the ticket, I realized that I probably should have paid for my chocolate-covered cookie dough bites at the same time (I had to pay the same guy for each, and they only had one credit card machine).
As I said something about not realizing it, he said what might have been the most offensive-but-not, untrue put-down I’ve ever received. He told me, “That’s okay, it’s just the blonde effect.” Take a look at my picture up there in the header. Do I look like a blonde? No. He wasn’t actually referring to my hair color. He was calling me a ditz. What?
I know I can act ditzy sometimes, but it’s usually late at night with Dr. Pepper coursing through my vains laughing with friends. This, however, was just a normal happening in life. Yes, we were laughing at my ignorance along with him, but let me tell you…I’ve never been to a theatre like this! I’m clearly from out of town (as I had stated I’d never been to a place like that), so he should have expected no less.
After that, Dana and I went to find seats in the theatre. You get what you paid for, so it took us four tries to find two seats together that weren’t broken. Once we found them, the floor there was so sticky we were afraid if our purses fell down that we wouldn’t be able to retrieve them intact. Then I visited the bathroom where I was entertained with reading material on the wall and trying to pump the soap dispenser for just a little soap to wash my hands.
Like I said, this theatre was certainly an experience, and one I’m glad that I had, even if I am a ditz.
“I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant is faithful one hundred percent!” (I love this quote, even if it is actually from Horton Hatches an Egg)
