I am the kind of person who needs a little bit of space around me. Just a small perimeter. Not a lot, maybe about 8-10 inches. Or a foot, just to be safe. Maybe it’s a symptom of a mental illness or something, but I’m perfectly happy being this way, so I have no intention of seeking a cure.
Anyway, because I like my small amount of personal space, I really don’t like it when I’m standing in a line and people behind me edge up so close I can practically feel them touching me. This happened this afternoon when I was at Borders, minding my own business, waiting in line to order coffee. I was waiting behind the guy in front of me (which is normally how it works when you’re waiting in line), who had thoughtlessly ordered some really complicated coffee-like thing and was taking forever, and then four people in a group came and stood behind me. Well, not so much “behind” me as “practically surrounding me in a semi circle.”
So I did what I usually do – I moved up a little, while yelling (in my mind, not out loud) at the guy in front of me – “JUST GET NORMAL COFFEE NEXT TIME!! I’M BEING SWALLOWED UP BY CLOSE STANDERS HERE!!!!! YOU’RE TAKING FOREVER!!!”
It seemed like moving up a few inches would do the trick, but oh no. The people behind me moved their little group up as well, continuing to surround me and talk about whatever they were going to order, sometimes even pointing at the menu board so that some of their arms moved within milimeters of my ears. Which are just normal-sized ears, by the way – it’s not like they were sticking out in the way or anything.
So just a little request – if you are ever standing behind me in a line, give me some room. On a related note, if you are ever in your car and are behind me in my car, don’t get right up against me. What if there’s some sort of emergency where I might have to suddenly throw it into reverse and peel out of there? I need to have room to maneuver. Not that that’s ever happened to me before, but you never know. I just want to be ready.
Basically all I’m saying is – step back, people.
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