AM BEHIND YOU!

As i write this piece, someone just uttered those words. Or.....let me guess, you said it today at the bank! Not a day goes by in our banking halls, supermarkets, cinemas, hospitals (depending on which one you use) without someone murmuring out ‘am behind you’ or its sister version ‘am at your back’. I choose the word murmur because no matter how clear and audible you make yourself, once what comes out of your mouth the moment you decide to activate your right to and sense of speech are those annoying words, i find it incoherent, and downright inaudible. Use queens English voice if you so desire, same! My grouse with a stranger who arrives in line after me informing me of his/her position in the queue is bi-dimensional. I think it is plain wrong to customise a spot in the queue. You don’t think it is? Put on your imaginative mode and picture yourself in the bank waiting to be served. On the queue, you have got one person ahead of you as you watch the teller/cashier attend to those presently being served. Why are these people too slow? They obviously need more hands here and they keep sacking people. How long will it take her to count? All of these questions and more in a one way conversation as you dialogue with yourself. And the drama? the annoying counting machine that counts 99 instead of 100 thus forcing a recount, the guy who needs to sign (he knows he would have to sign) but without a pen, the occasional unexplained leave the teller takes after attending to a customer and many more. You endure the tortuous wait and as the cashier screamed ‘next’ as though the waiting time/service delivery has been super efficient, someone (sometimes 2) walks right in front of you and says ‘i was at his back’ (or i was here before). Its a rude and unpleasant feeling. You can’t verify! You just accept it. Not everyone will take it. Shouting matches, insult trade has been the consequence when someone objects to the existence of a customised position. I have always thought the net effect is the same if everyone could stay in queue and wait till they are served. If you aren’t ready, go ahead and conduct other business(es) of yours. The twin grouse i have is that you burden me with the responsibility of informing anyone who comes behind me of your customised slot. Now it gets weird. The person (latter) who arrives after the man (former) who assigns me the unsolicited responsibility also decides not to stay and informs me of his position. If i could afford one, i would definitely buy a reverse camera and it has got to be for my car and not to be used in the banking hall! It is fantastic if you are subscribed to internet banking. Lets hear how you deal with ‘am behind you’ at the airport, cinemas and shopping mall.