EAVESDROP, I DID

One night, while waiting outside the movie theater for a couple of friends, I was reading and minding my own business, sort of. You see, sometimes people around you in public spaces are most likely having conversations, which could be really boring, or provided limited context they could turn out to be quite intriguing. OK, eavesdropping isn’t right, but given that you’re within hearing distances this could become hard to avoid.

So, back to waiting for friends at the movies, I was reading by the steps when a car pulls over in front of me, and some guy gets off, speaking on his cell to somebody and the first thing I hear him say was something like “No, they need to be evacuated immediately... use the helicopter for that…” as he opens the back door of the car to let his girlfriend/ wife out of it. In my mind thoughts like “Is there something really bad going on somewhere that evacuation where aerial means are necessary? Where? Why?” And in an involuntary move, I must admit, I followed them to the ticket stand to see if I could hear something more. I was intrigued.

Anyway, my friends arrived and the whole thing was put behind. Still, I will wonder not only what had happened that this man would be giving such orders to someone on his cell, but how he could just sort of shrug it off and go watch a movie when apparently (and I mean ‘apparently’ because of course I had no context to work with) he might have been needed in what sounded like an emergency.

So, what can a girl do? Invent reasons of what was going on:

a)      The guy was on a first date, so he probably had a friend call him and stage a situation in which he could impress his date. He would seem important and also humanitarian. And rich because he has a helicopter.

b)      He was speaking in code. 'Evacuated' meant dancing, 'immediately' meant 'boogy oogy', and helicopter was just a very compelling dance move.

c)       He was talking to his son and it was an intensive game of GI JOE and the nanny wasn't cooperating.