Sold Out

"We have to leave early so that we can get good seats," I told my husband.  Usually when we go to a movie we walk in about 5 or 10 minutes late, searching for seats with just enough light from the screen's Coming Attractions.  I wasn't having any of that this time.  Last summer, we arrived in time do see Dark Knight, but were relegated to the very first row.  Not this time!

"It's going to be sold out," I reminded him.  "So we need to be there about 20 minutes before the start or we'll never find seats together."

Much to my relief, we left at the agreed upon time.  On the way, my husband, Terry, told me that the kids in school, i.e., the girls in school, were all talking about the movie.

"You're going to see it!  Cool!  Do you already have your tickets?" they squealed.  They seemed excited by the prospect of this teacher venturing into their territory.  And, to my amazement, none of them, or so he said, seemed to think of it as maybe a little bit weird.

When we arrived, sure enough!  Sold out shows included both the 7:15 and 10:15 showings, despite it being shown on multiple screens.

Was it the sea of tweens or that they were almost all girls that gave my husband pause?  

"Am I going to enjoy this movie?" he asked.

"Probably not," I answered truthfully.  But I had no regrets; I was certain that I would enjoy it.

The noisy crowd reminded me of my days of matinees at the old Lyric theater on Western Avenue in Blue Island.  For 25 cents, we could catch a double feature with a cartoon thrown in to boot.  Kids would fill the theater then:  Elvis movies were all the rage and we caught every one of them.  It was heaven, albeit a noisy one.  Unsupervised kids would take over for the afternoon, talking and making several trips back and forth for concessions.  What could be greater for a 10 year old kid?  Nothing!  It was the social event of the week.

Fast forward to last Friday evening. While generally supervised, the preteens were noisily chatting, eating, and chatting some more.  The looks on parents' faces indicated that they were merely the designated drivers for this event.  Good natured, they accompanied their kids and groups of friends, gathering both their popcorn and their wits about them.  Comfort food, that popcorn was!  A reward for their service.

And yet, while perhaps the oldest, we weren't the only unaccompanied adults.  A group of 40-something women lined the row just ahead of us.  They shouted back and forth to a teen that they knew.  They were there to see Edward as much as anyone.  While geared towards teens, it is a "chick-flick" nevertheless, and we were all there for the same reason. The men were likely just along for the rid: the drivers, the company or the escort to the car on the way out.

The movie was campy but interesting in its own way.  I've seen better, but I've also seen worse--way worse.  The actors were beautiful, the story engaging. All in all, I'm glad I went.  I feel only mildly guilty for deceiving my husband this way.  My sin is one of omission--I didn't lie, I just wasn't forthcoming.  And it was his idea after all.

Always a good sport, Terry  made the best of it.  He didn't fall asleep for even a minute. The bonus was that he got an idea for his biology class.  Beginning mitosis next week, he will award a golden onion to the winner of the lab contest--proving that you can learn something new, not only every day but from every situation, if you really want to.

As for me, this was pure entertainment.  A teen-aged vampire and star crossed love.  Edward and Bella.  It was a happy ending--this time.  But more problems lie just on the horizon.  I can't wait to see what happens next.  But I may have to call up a girlfriend.