I am not afraid of watching a movie alone. ‘Real Women go to
the movies alone’ that’s my slogan. I love being able to wriggle in my seat
without the person next to me caring, I love being able to cry my eyes out
without restraint. However this particular movie-going experience has shaken me
to my core!
I bought my ‘admit one’ ticket and proceeded to then buy a
small popcorn and Coke Zero (just for me) and was conned into purchasing the
additional peanut mNm’s by the popcorn vendor, for what I thought was just R5
more but turned out to be more like R15 more. At this point while trying
desperately to shove my oversized wallet stuffed full of what one would hope
was money but were actually just slightly soggy receipts into my undersized
bag, I noticed the next customer. She was a middle-aged petite, Indian woman with
a perfect bob and a fashion sense that could be described as ‘interesting’.
Panic struck me as I realised that this could be me in 30 years!
She seemed bitter and caustic. I got this impression from
the 10 minute fight she had with the popcorn vendor about the quality of their
coffee. It was then that I realised that she was probably having this argument
just to keep the popcorn vendor talking because this was the only person she’d
spoken to in an entire week! By this stage I was having heart palpitations but
consoled myself with the fact that I could go into the movie and not ever see
this sad vestige of what I could become ever again.
I got into the cinema and settled myself into the comfy
chair when who should open the door but my doppelganger of the future. I looked
at her, she looked at me. I saw panic in her eyes and I’m sure she saw it in
mine. Maybe she thought, “Oh God! This is how it starts!”. She sat down in the
row behind me.
The lights dimmed but the screen was still black. In the
darkness of the cinema with no one next to me in the entire row I started to
cry and used up all the toilet paper I’d shoved into my purse in anticipation of
the tear-jerker.
Oh and about the movie it wasn’t that good but then maybe I
was preoccupied.
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