The Last Mon Standing

Today was my enrolment for my coming summer class…

I went to school at 9:30 AM… then I stood in line for I guess 2 hours or more just to get my evaluation form and registration card.

At first, the line was really straight and everything was running smoothly. Thanks to the ever present queue jumpers, the supposedly easy flowing line turned into a mass mayhem… this queue jumpers squeezed through all possible gaps in the line. Though a lot of people expressed their indignations, they were still not prevented.

I have finished getting my registration card at exactly 12 noon, lunch break, all the offices close at noon. Instead of carrying on with my enrolment, I went to KFC with Spongebabe to have lunch.

At 12:45, I started waiting for the next window. I was the first in line but then these two girls asked me if they can go first. Since they were only two, I gave my space.

Then my girl classmates came and asked me if they can wait in front of, not next to, me. I said sure, anyway they’re classmates.

Now what pissed me off was when the two girls’ classmates came and loudly asked them if they can go first. The two previous ladies looked at my direction and said if it’ll be ok with me, I said ok- SARCASTICALLY. To my surprised they thanked me and let their classmates jump the line. And this was also repeated by my classmates; the only difference is that they did not bother to ask if it’ll be fine with me.What supposedly was a split second encounter with the head of college of nursing became a half a century of waiting for my turn.

After that I went to the cashier, now I was determined to do the same, to become the newest member of the “QUEUE JUMPERS’ CLUB”.

I tried to take a space from my classmates who asked me to give them a space but they didn’t let me. Huh! Those ungrateful gremlins… AARGH!So I decided start my long journey at the back.

But, two of my classmates who were chronic queue jumpers publicly yelled at me, saying,“HOY MON! MAY SPACE PA DITO O!”  (HEY MON! THERE’S STILL A SPACE HERE!)I grabbed the chance, I left my place and went to theirs.At that very instance, everyone became aware of my deliberate intentional change of location. They followed me. And the previously nice and neat line became a humongous swarm of chaotic people… I was really thinking of a possible stampede.

We squeezed here and there. We were all drenched in assorted sweats and smells and Carbon Dioxide. The heat was deadly. After ages of long, tiring and highly lethal waiting, it was, thank God, my turn next to Ms L, to pay the cashier.To my horror she closed the window for a few minutes, then she returned and said…“Wala na kaming resibo… bukas na lang kayo bumalik” (We ran out of receipt… just come back here tomorrow). The receipts came all the way from the Main Campus, but since there was an ongoing commencement exercise for all the graduating students, they cannot phone for another batch of receipts.

“WHAT!! Is that a reason?” I demanded. Unfortunately the cashier did not hear anything.

ARGH! Just ARGH! How could this happen to me? To a gentleman like me, who wholeheartedly gave his patience to those queue jumpers? To a good Guardian Angel like me?

Not fair! NOT FAAAAAAAAAIR!!!!