Not Giving Up

Over at Dartmouth they show first run movies all the time, and sometimes they manage to preview them before they hit the public. This was the case recently with the movie, Despicable Me 2. One of the producers was a Dartmouth grad, so we managed to get the movie for the school. The kids were thrilled at the idea of being the first to see it, and it was a bargain. That’s often how these things works.

We didn’t think it would be such a big deal, so we planned on having supper at our beloved Boloco, then heading over. The plan was to get there a couple of hours early, get tickets in case they sell out, eat supper, then see the movie. Of course, things weren’t that simple. For starters, we ran into our friends, the S’s, who had the same idea, so the kids were excited to have buddies to hang with. The big surprise came when we arrived at the box office, only to learn the darn movie was sold out! The S’s were smart (he’s an Ivy League professor) and pre-bought their tix online. We, on the other hand, were left in the cold. SS was cool in that he had an extra ticket and gave it to us, so there was a glimmer of hope. R and I figured if we could get one more, then at least the kids could go in, and she and I could go for another one of our stellar walks.

We went and ate supper, and the whole time I kept ruminating, how were we going to get another ticket? I considered sitting at the front door and asking every person if they had an extra ticket (like being at a Dead Show), but the kids would have been mortified. In fact, they were rather cynical about the whole endeavor, and just wanted to go home. We told them to just be patient and not to lose hope.

We returned to the box office and took a seat. We figured it was a big auditorium and there had to be some seats that went unclaimed. This was exactly the case, and the ticket guy said he could help us out, but not before a woman said she had an extra ticket. We jumped on it, paid her, and were in business. R went into the theater to get the kids situated, and the place was a zoo. I’m talking totally packed. While I waited outside, I saw plenty of people who were in the same boat as us, without tickets and trying to get in. There were plenty of tickets to be had, and the guys working the front were pretty helpful in making things work out. I mean, come on, it’s a kid’s movie, not Carnegie Hall.

There was one guy who needed five tickets, and I told him that there are tickets out there and just keep trying. He managed to score five seats. I saw friends going in who had extra tickets and offered them to me, but we were all set. In the end, R and I could have gotten in, but at that point, the place was packed, and I’d just as soon wait for it to come out on video. Boy, have I become my parents, or what?

It worked out beautifully. We went from despair to elation, all because we didn’t give up. The kids were very good about the initial disappointment, they were bummed, but didn’t make any issue of it whatsoever, and I appreciate that. In the end, it wasn’t such a big deal finding an extra ticket, as you might expect. It just took a little patience and determination. Good life lessons, don’t you think?

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Brecht Bug for the pic.