AnonymousCoworker

The curtain rises and we see a tall, handsome, muscled (toned, not bulky), blond man in line with dull and regular looking people. Just from the sight of him it’s clear that he is not only ravishingly attractive, but that he’s bright and amusing as well. He is ACW. He is reading a book as the rest of the line loudly talk, cry, scream, flatulate, and yell into ringing cell-phones. A voice comes over the public address system:

Voice: Good morning MVA customers. Five years ago today four planes were hijacked and used to destroy the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and one plane intended to be used to destroy the White House was brought down by the passengers in a field in Pennsylvania. Please stand for the national anthem, followed by a period of silence.

The national anthem of the United States of America plays over the PA. Everyone who isn’t already standing rises and the general clamor of the facility quickly abates. ACW notices an old man to his left genuflect at the end of the anthem and wonders if all people have so closely tied their patriotism to their faith. After a minute of silence people return to their seats, and the general din of the facility begins again, though more quiet than before.

Voice: Now I will read a poem by…

As the voice continues, the white noise of people waiting grows. The author, title, and content of the poem go unheard by all but the few who might have been standing under the speakers of the PA system.

Voice: And now we will listen to God Bless America.

God Bless America begins to play over the PA. We can see from ACW’s face that he is torn between the desire to rip the cell phones from the hands of those speaking on them as the song plays, and the desire to speak himself about why someone felt it necessary to tie their jingoism to their deity. The song ends shortly, ACW goes back to reading his book, and people in lines and at stations go back to being rude to one another. ACW thinks of the lives lost five years ago and all the lives lost since then and consciously goes out of his way to be friendly to people for the rest of the day.

The End