Thursday, March 19, 2020

Pandemically, 2.......Movie day



So we have a wonderful menagerie of wisdom-filled folks who have been on the planet a little longer than amoebas. They gather weekly for lunch and once a month, they also enjoy a movie after lunch. This is extra good for me because when I am filling in at the front desk, I have a direct view of the movie size screen, so I get to watch from a distance.

The first time this brilliant idea was put into motion proved to be a very interesting learning experience. The program leader dropped off the movie early in the week and told me she would miss the meeting, but had made arrangements for the showing, so all should go well. I was thrilled about this new idea that seemed to be falling into place!

When the friend dropped off the movie, I was busy on the phone, trying to talk about Jesus with a persistent telemarketing salesperson, so when she asked me where to leave the movie, I pointed my newly rebuilt titanium elbowed arm to a shelf, never missing a beat on my phone call. "Yeah,man, in his 40's, I kid you not. Yes! a handful of pals, a dozen or so, and even at that- betrayal. Seriously, you can't make this shit up. Imagine the hundreds of people you call every day- I really suggest narrowing your call field to 2 or less; you never know who is going to say yes today, and nope tomorry behind your little salesperson back. It's a cruel world out there.. Sure, anytime- and You have a good day, too."

A couple of days later, on movie day, from my office, I heard the familiar sounds of the lovelies arriving. I recognized the shuffle of comfortable shoes, a squeaky wheelchair wheel here and there and the fond thump thump of walkers. The weekly group had arrived for their weekly lunch.  A little while later, though, some peculiar sound broke my concentration and I got up to see what the commotion was about. I rounded the corner, passed the front desk where one of my favorite volunteers sat, scooched  down into her chair with her arms crossed tightly across her chest.
"What's going on?" I asked.

I felt the breeze as a wheelchair being pushed at a rough 35 mph flew past me- making a bee line for the front door. There were two walkers clompping along at a good pace as well, rushing for the exit. They would clomp clomp, then look behind them, as if they were being followed by bank robbers.
From a furrowed face, came "All I know is the movie started, and all I heard was a moanin' and a groanin' and now everyone is trying to get out."

I headed into the Fellowship hall/movie house and looked at the screen. Robert Di Niro was , well , being himself, and I grabbed the video case- this movie was rated R!!! I pushed my way through the Exodus and said, " STOP! Don't leave! I'll change the movie!!"

One person, standing beside her friend in a wheelchair, said, " No! She's had enough of this. I'm taking her home!"

I ran downstairs to the Children's Department, where I bounded into the Children's Director's office.
She looked up at me and tilted her head." Yes? Whatcha need?"

"I need a  movie. I don't care what it is, just give me something you show the kids." and she did.

I rushed upstairs and gave it to the custodian who was on movie duty. He looked at me."Do I have to? It's only just started."
"Change it NOW. You can watch it later, if you want to, I don't care, but unless you want to see 13 heart attacks happen at once, CHANGE THE MOVIE!" So he did, and Walt Disney finished what DiNiro started on the first movie day of our grand group.






1 comment:

Carol Majors said...

So much to relish here. I love your voice.