Stop jumping the queue

My friend and church-mate, Daniel, hates queues. I am sure we all do. Standing in a line of many people that is long and being attended to rather slowly is no one’s favourite pastime. So what Daniel does is go early in the morning to wherever it may be, the bank, clinic or wherever else. He is one of the first attended to and he is done with what he wants in a matter of minutes.

I wish everyone who hated queues so much did as Daniel did. But they don’t. Instead they decide to jump the queue. There you are in a bank, standing in a long line. You count and find you are the 25th person in the line. You keep counting every 10 minutes in the hope that five people decide not to wait any longer and leave, or that three empty tills suddenly have tellers and the line is moving faster. But you realise after 20 minutes, you are now just person 24. You sigh, irritated, wondering how much longer your toes can take the heat in your shoes, wondering why in the world you chose to put on that pair that day. As you shift the balance from one foot to another, a woman trying to look distinguished and “VIP” slowly but surely makes her way past all of you to the top of the line. Suddenly all eyes are on her, wondering why she is ahead. When everyone realises she is trying to jump the queue, there is murmuring and grunting and suddenly we are swept into a silent frenzy of making sure she does not get space.

You forget that the man in the front elbowed you and did not apologise and that the woman behind you stinks of something weird. You all gang up and stand close to each other to ensure this woman does not jump the queue. Unfortunately, someone ahead is either not vigilant enough to edge her away or decides to help her out. Oh, the “annoyingness” of it all! You become person 25. Again.

People who jump the queue are the most annoying lot and rank high up there among the top 10 people who need a spanking – on my list. What makes them think we want to wait any longer? Do they think they are busier than we are? Do they think we want to wait in the traffic jam for two hours and do not mind getting home three hours after we left work? Do they think when we are at a wedding celebrating matrimony, we are too excited and are not as hungry (have you noticed that most people who jump the line during such functions are gatecrashers?)? Do they think they are sicker than us at the clinic? Do they think we find pleasure in standing for hours on end while we wait? Do they think they are better or more superior than us in one way or the other?

If you find a queue, respect it. If you do not want to wait, then go for excel banking or gold status in the clinics and leave us to wait in order and peace.