January 15, 2010
I was hoping things had calmed down after the last Bingo blowout, but I was wrong.
Everyone was in his or her usual Bingo spot tonight, which was encouraging, but that just meant things looked normal. Underneath, several people were still a little on edge. I asked Mike whether he’d noticed anything.
"You think there’s something in the water?" I asked. "People sure have been crabby lately."
"It’s the humidity," he grinned. I thought it was a joke, and it probably was, but I think he was halfway serious. It has been raining a lot, for a long time. Few people are getting out, and no one is getting any spirit-raising sunshine.
The first "off" thing I noticed was Jerry, who had slid in behind a pole at Ray’s table. I told him it was hard to see him raise his Bingo card over there, and he said that was exactly the point—he didn’t want anyone staring at him. O-kay.
The next thing I knew, Lyle was yelling at Kenny for taking too long to take his prize from the cart. Which made Bill yell at Lyle to shut up and keep out of it.
Jerry was one of the last to leave Bingo. As he got near the door, I heard him yell at someone: "Take your f---ing eyes off of me!" Who in the world was he yelling at? Bill and I were cleaning up, and Mike was waiting for me—we were the only ones in there, and we certainly didn’t have our f-ing eyes on him. "You know what I’m talking about," Jerry raged on. "Put your eyes somewhere else!" Just then I heard Mike say "Huh?" Oh, for God’s sake – he was yelling at Mike. He couldn’t believe it, either, but he tried very valiantly to act innocently confused rather than totally pissed. He almost pulled it off.
We all need a little sunshine.
I was hoping things had calmed down after the last Bingo blowout, but I was wrong.
Everyone was in his or her usual Bingo spot tonight, which was encouraging, but that just meant things looked normal. Underneath, several people were still a little on edge. I asked Mike whether he’d noticed anything.
"You think there’s something in the water?" I asked. "People sure have been crabby lately."
"It’s the humidity," he grinned. I thought it was a joke, and it probably was, but I think he was halfway serious. It has been raining a lot, for a long time. Few people are getting out, and no one is getting any spirit-raising sunshine.
The first "off" thing I noticed was Jerry, who had slid in behind a pole at Ray’s table. I told him it was hard to see him raise his Bingo card over there, and he said that was exactly the point—he didn’t want anyone staring at him. O-kay.
The next thing I knew, Lyle was yelling at Kenny for taking too long to take his prize from the cart. Which made Bill yell at Lyle to shut up and keep out of it.
Jerry was one of the last to leave Bingo. As he got near the door, I heard him yell at someone: "Take your f---ing eyes off of me!" Who in the world was he yelling at? Bill and I were cleaning up, and Mike was waiting for me—we were the only ones in there, and we certainly didn’t have our f-ing eyes on him. "You know what I’m talking about," Jerry raged on. "Put your eyes somewhere else!" Just then I heard Mike say "Huh?" Oh, for God’s sake – he was yelling at Mike. He couldn’t believe it, either, but he tried very valiantly to act innocently confused rather than totally pissed. He almost pulled it off.
We all need a little sunshine.