The
old coot rediscovers the “Huffer.”
By
Merlin Lessler
A
few articles back, I remarked on the “Um” people. Those poor souls who are in
line ahead of you at a counter in a place where you have to make selections,
like in a deli or a donut shop. Um people draw a blank when the clerk asks what
they would like, and respond with, “Um,” and then repeats it after each selection.
When it’s time to pay and the clerks asks, “Cash or credit?” A whole new series
of UM’s accompany a search through pockets and/or purse.
This
article is about a Huffer, another phenomenon that emerges in lines. It’s one I’d
forgotten about until brought to my attention by friends, Paul and Carol. They
were at a pharmacy where they observed a “Huffer” in full bloom. They were at
the “drop off a prescription” counter; the Huffer was at the “pick up a
prescription” counter. The clerk was waiting on them; the Huffer was impatiently
waiting her turn, as only a “Huffer” can; arms crossed and recrossed, weight
shifted from right to left with huffs coming from her pie hole each time she switched
arms and legs. They said she sounded like a steam engine, idling in a train
station.
Paul
and Carols turn was taking a little while since it was a complicated situation
with a doctor from another state at their side trying to negotiate through the
web of two different sets of state regulations. It just added steam to the
Huffer at the other counter. The intensity of folding and unfolding her arms
and the sideways back & forth pacing increased as each second passed. As
did the frequency and volume of the huffing.
Finally,
their transaction was completed, and as they walked out of the prescription area,
they were greeted with a goodbye Huff and then heard a portion of her comments
to the poor clerk, “…..and they don’t even live here.” A line behavior
experience like this is pure entertainment to me. (It doesn’t take much to
entertain an old coot.) There is no reason to let something like this irritate
you. When you find yourself, huffing, puffing and uming, remember, someone is
probably watching you and suppressing a chuckle.
Comments?
Complaints? Send the former to mlessler7@gmail.com. Keep the latter
to yourself.
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