New Friends From India

On Black Friday Eve, the day that the rest of Americans call Thanksgiving, I went out to Best Buy to wait in line so that I could get the electronics for the family for the next year.  I started out as number 11 in line,  Numbers 1-7 were a family from Arkansas who had been waiting in line for 2 days when I got there. They thought Texas was warmer than Arkansas for two days of camping in November.  I wonder what their kids will write about Thanksgiving?  We went to Texas and went camping in a parking lot at Best Buy.  It was really fun!  Numbers 8 and 9 were two bachelors from Mumbai, India who are computer consultants for American Airlines. They are here for a few years.  They were interested to hear what I thought were some must see spots in the USA.  Number 8's parents are working on finding a bride for him.  I guess the kids in India trust their parents a lot more than we do here because I can see the men my parents might choose for me and I would have to decline.  Number 10 was a pad to sit on.  I moved him to the back of the line after he had been AWOL for 3 hours.  He showed up an hour and a half after that and was disapointed that he had been moved but promptly left again.  There is a certain ettiquette about waiting in line.  The first rule is that you really have to be there.  You can leave for bathroom breaks and for food but don't expect to take off for hours.  As the new number 10, I had gained the alpha spot.  Whenever people left they checked in with me to tell me where they were going and what they would be doing and when they would be back.  I thought it was pretty funny that I had that much power.  Numbers 11 and 12 were a couple from India who had a two year old that they took turns watching in the car.    The line continued to grow, especially after the Cowboys game ended.  Things were going pretty well until number 50 got there.  I don't know what his problem was, but I think it might have been that he got there several hours after the people in the front of the line got there.  He started making trouble with a lot of people.  I guess he didn't get the memo that I was in charge.

I had set up a tent and had an air mattress and a sleeping bag.  I was pretty comfortable.  At about 1AM number 50 started to harrass number 11.  He was questioning why he kept going to his car and accusing him of not really being in line.  Number 11 grew tired of his harrassment so he told him he would not be speaking to him any more.  Number 50 started using really foul language and making gross threats.  I recognized this as a testosterone war.  What was number 11 to do?  He was a guy and he was being verbally threatened in front of over a hundred people.  Number 11 remained silent for about 45 seconds before he gave up on that resolve. I wondered if it would result in a fist fight.  Then he came out with the worst cussing he had ever come up with in his life, "Who in the hell do you think you are?  You go back to your own spot in line!"  Number 50 was urged to go back to his own spot by everyone else.   Later that morning I told number 11 that I was proud of him for not using horrid language and for not getting in a fight.  After all, it is shopping, and shopping should be fun.