“I hate standing in the cold. Why do all of the good games come out when it’s freezing?”
“It’s barely 50, just be patient, it’s almost midnight and we’ll get this thing and go play it.”
The two guys chatted back and forth about what they planned on doing first when they finally got the game. I’d really started to tune them out. I really had more sense than to be standing on the corner of a street at a time of day when sensible people my age were either drunk or in bed. But still, this was “the game” everyone was waiting for. It’d be coming for years.
“C’mon, man! It’s fucking cold out here, can we at least sit inside?”
The red shirt inside the store looked out with bloodshot eyes and gave half a glare and a shrug. Evidently, midnight releases are as much fun for the employees as they are for the fans. Red Shirt busied himself with unpacking the box that had the game all of us had put down good money for. I wasn’t impatient, they’d gotten a copy for everyone. Besides, I was next to last in line anyway. Though, the guy behind me was shivering like crazy.
Why, though? This guy had a heavy coat on, the kind you don’t really see around here since it’s cold so rarely. Eh, whatever.
“Kinda sucks that their credit card machine is busted.”
“Yeah, well at least we had enough cash to get our copy. Good thing they told us when they called so we wouldn’t get surprised by it.”
Before I could mull that over in my head, the doors opened. Red Shirt called out loudly, “Okay! We’re gonna let you in four at a time so that we can get you all served and out of here. I know everyone is excited, so let’s get this moving quickly and orderly and we’ll all go home.”
“Fuck, man! That’ll take forever! I’ve been here for a fuckin’ hour!”
I rolled my eyes at Whiny Kid. Patience is evidently an acquired skill he’d yet to obtain. Maybe he had Tourette’s…it seemed better than just being an impatient dick.
It took about another 30 minutes before I got in the store, me, Whiny Kid, his friend, and Captain Parka. It was warm inside, but Captain Parka started shaking worse than ever.
“It’s about fucking time! You know how long I waited for this?”
“Two years and an extra 30 minutes.” Red Shirt replied. “Get over it, you’ll stop caring in a little bit.”
That seemed like a cue to Captain Parka. At that moment he pulled a gun from inside of his parka and shouted in a slurred voice “Give me all the cash!”
Great…calling 30 people about how they have to pay in cash…what’re the odds one of the people called needs money.
I back towards the door, Captain Parka is distracted by trying to keep Whiny Kid and Red Shirt in front of him. Maybe I can get out and use my phone to get help…
