There are two lines extending, meandering, bulging out of the security zone. They’re not well-defined, passengers are shuffling more or less next to each other; there is a lot of body language.
Chang has chosen the left queue. An error. The right queue is moving faster. Chang isn’t in an expansive mode, but he’s so nervous, he can’t help to chat up the complete stranger next to him, a gaunt, tall, elderly gentleman. “The other line is moving faster,” Chang says.
- “Torre’s observation,” the gentleman retorts dryly.
-“Huh?”
-“Torre’s observation. ‘The other line is moving faster.’”
-“I didn’t know.”
-“Now you do,” the gaunt gentleman replies while he — ever-so-gentlemanly — is making one step forward. It’s one step too many, practically getting him in front of Chang now, and, as if to kill two birds with one stone, he’s adding, “note the parsimony of Torre’s statement; Torre could have said ‘the other line is always moving faster,’ but we don’t need explicit universal quantification here since we can treat the queue itself as a free variable. Torre’s observation. A beautiful statement.” Another step, and the gaunt man has posited himself squarely in front of Chang.
-“I don’t believe it,” Chang says, using his usual defense. He should have thought of something better, he realizes, as the gaunt man turns his head around, purposefully, 180 degrees or more. “That’s a pity,” he says, “since it’s an easy corollary of Torre’s observation, implied by the comparative verb phrase, that our own line is moving as well.”
Their queue is now struggling past a large, old-fashioned announcement board, one of the kind that informs about wedding receptions in the Garden Room, black background, removable, white plastic letters, and it reads: “As always, passengers may notice a variety of security me sures at U.S. airports to include the use of physical bag checks, random gate screening, explosive detection tehcnology, canine teams and behavor detection officers.” Should we suspect spelling errors? An official is posited casually next to the board, practically leaning on it, and she’s straight from central casting. The two girls next to Chang — yes, there are now two girls next to him now, rich girls, horse girls — have observed the misplaced letters, pointing at the board, giggling, exchanging views on the federal government. If looks could kill. But that’s where the story ends; the officer is trained in the behavior of rich horse girls that don’t blow up planes. The girls are in front of him now.
Chang has chosen the left queue. An error. The right queue is moving faster. Chang isn’t in an expansive mode, but he’s so nervous, he can’t help to chat up the complete stranger next to him, a gaunt, tall, elderly gentleman. “The other line is moving faster,” Chang says.
- “Torre’s observation,” the gentleman retorts dryly.
-“Huh?”
-“Torre’s observation. ‘The other line is moving faster.’”
-“I didn’t know.”
-“Now you do,” the gaunt gentleman replies while he — ever-so-gentlemanly — is making one step forward. It’s one step too many, practically getting him in front of Chang now, and, as if to kill two birds with one stone, he’s adding, “note the parsimony of Torre’s statement; Torre could have said ‘the other line is always moving faster,’ but we don’t need explicit universal quantification here since we can treat the queue itself as a free variable. Torre’s observation. A beautiful statement.” Another step, and the gaunt man has posited himself squarely in front of Chang.
-“I don’t believe it,” Chang says, using his usual defense. He should have thought of something better, he realizes, as the gaunt man turns his head around, purposefully, 180 degrees or more. “That’s a pity,” he says, “since it’s an easy corollary of Torre’s observation, implied by the comparative verb phrase, that our own line is moving as well.”
Their queue is now struggling past a large, old-fashioned announcement board, one of the kind that informs about wedding receptions in the Garden Room, black background, removable, white plastic letters, and it reads: “As always, passengers may notice a variety of security me sures at U.S. airports to include the use of physical bag checks, random gate screening, explosive detection tehcnology, canine teams and behavor detection officers.” Should we suspect spelling errors? An official is posited casually next to the board, practically leaning on it, and she’s straight from central casting. The two girls next to Chang — yes, there are now two girls next to him now, rich girls, horse girls — have observed the misplaced letters, pointing at the board, giggling, exchanging views on the federal government. If looks could kill. But that’s where the story ends; the officer is trained in the behavior of rich horse girls that don’t blow up planes. The girls are in front of him now.
Stay tuned for the next installment on Friday, or read the entire story published so far here.
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