When Technology Dies

During one of my days of selling Seussical tickets I had been busy at work before racing to the school.  Since I'd been in my bosses car I didn't have my phone charger.  But I did have a spare battery.  I knew I'd be fine.

When I got to the school I had about 5 minutes to grab the tickets, the money bag, and take my place.  But when I got to the front door of the school I noticed people were standing outside of it.  In line!  For tickets!  Wow.  I started making my way in saying excuse me as I went.  But I wasn't getting anywhere.  People kept telling me that was the end of the line.  So I started saying, "Thank you, I know, but excuse me."  I didn't think I needed to explain myself.  And really, I didn't have the time!  It was still a high school, after all, people could have been coming in to just go to the office.  But still, I wasn't getting anywhere.  Finally I politely tried to get past someone I didn't know.  She turned around and said, "You can't come up here.  Go to the end of the line.  We're all here to buy tickets."  To which I, in frustration and claustorphobia, said, "I'm the one selling the tickets!!" 

Why didn't I start with that?  The line parted like the Red Sea.  Don't mess with me when I'm starting to breath heavily in a closing-in crowd of people. 

Okay, not really.  But it worked.  I should have conducted myself better, but I was overwhelmed. 

And when they realized who I was, they were all suddenly very nice.

I sold tickets for the next two hours and 10 minutes.  Straight.  When the first lady bought 40 I thought I wouldn't survive, but slowly and steadily my line dwindled.  When it was finally just me and the tickets I pulled out my cell phone to relax, and of course, catch up. 

I'd gotten several phone calls and texts during those two hours (many from the director... good thing I love her:) so I'd stealthily changed my battery while still selling.  I know, I have skills.  But since the high school is cinder block walls and I was right in the middle of it, the battery had just drained.  I spent about 10 minutes entertaining myself before it was dead.  And then.....I was alone.  With nothing to do.  Nothing.  I don't know how in the world I passed time before cell phones with apps.  I don't remember being insanely bored.  So I did what I could to pass the time.

I...

Counted all the seats on the auditorium map so I could...
Count all the empty seats for each night and made tally marks on the back of each paper.
Smoothed out all the money and made sure it was in numerical order, and all facing the right way.
Alphabetized all the checks by amount, and then because I was still bored, by last name.
Greeted everyone that walked by.
Re-highlighted all the seats I'd already sold to make sure the map looked correct.
Went through every rows envelope of remaining tickets and cross referenced with the map to make sure my system was working.
Patted myself on the back when I realized my system was in fact working flawlessly.
And I think I might have actually twiddled my thumbs.

When McKinley came in from a trip I grabbed her, held her down, and insisted she take her battery out of her phone and give it to me since it was more important that people could reach me.  And because I was about to start counting ceiling tiles.

So I survived.  McKinley might be scarred for life, but I survived. 

And the next day when Shawn was with me for the four hours, he kept me supplied with batteries.  Love that man!  He was also entertaining in his own rite.  I knew I married well!!