dense long line of people

The line was longer than I’ve seen for the music clubs around here, as I walked then I noticed it’s longer than that, two lines converge at the corner, no, the same line of people wraps around, completely around the block. The line is not moving forward but it is teeming with people shifting in groups. And the people are rather loud. As if drawn to witness some spectacle, an opening of a new Star Wars film, a pontiff, a UFO landing, something spectacular. 

And they are altogether an odd looking group.

Once inside Floyd’s across from the spontaneously formed line of people I ask what the people are waiting for.

“I don’t know!” 

While waiting inside one of the hairdressers playing with the receptionist comically feigned exasperation, “What are you guys waiting for?”  It was a curious line to suddenly appear for no reason known to any of us. 

And then the whole thing moved forward rapidly and  the line disappeared and the sidewalks were cleared in the span of two minutes. 

The lady cutting my hair told me they were waiting for a pipe. 

“Waiting for what?” 

“A pipe.” 

“Waiting for what?” The music is loud.

“A pipe.” 

“What?”

“A PIPE!” 

“Oh. How weird. Well that explains why they all look so odd.” 

“Come on.” She frowned.

“Yes. I’m judging people on how they look. You look down that whole line of people and now they’re all inside a room. I’m certain I don’t want to be in that room.” 

She stepped away laughing and held up her scissors so they didn’t accidentally poke someone while she convulses. She wouldn’t want to be in the room with them either. 

That turned out to be a fairly good joke. Imagining yourself in the same room with all those people all at once. 

Where do these people get their information? 

I told her about photographing people at Burger Fi nearby and how pleased I am with those candid photos. How well I thought they came out. If only I had my camera then I might be able to get something, but I doubted it from this group. Yes, I really am judging people on the way that they look, as photographic subjects, before I was surprised how much character there is in the details of regular people just talking and thinking. That’s what I'd hope to get. 

The hairdresser is a short compact Mexican lady, or very Latina looking. She pulled out her phone from her work box and pulled up photos taken by Vivian Maier. The hairdresser told me that she saw a documentary about Maier and was taken by what she saw. Enough so that she keeps her images on her cell phone. The hairdresser showed me an entire slideshow of Vivian Maier photographs saved to her phone. 

In the time allowed us she wanted me to study these photographs that she loves so much. A hundred images like these the hairdresser showed me, pleased to have someone show interest. Our conversation ranged from these to the Sartorialist, to Arne Svenson, the NYC privacy invader.

The last thing before the legs give out is carry back a twelve pack of soda. The couple in front of me leaves and the two clerks literally bend laughing once they’re gone, both holding onto the counter their heads disappeared from sight. “What are you laughing at?” I expected something funny about the previous customers, the guy laughing the most said the other one showed him a video on his cell phone of a woman in her car putting on a Chewbacca mask that makes Chewbacca noise when the jaw opens then he opened his mouth widely and made a Chewbacca sound.

(!)

“I saw that. Very funny.  It’s very funny, yes, but not that funny. The woman’s on anti-depressants. She’s on drugs. We’re laughing at a suburban woman on drugs. But what were those people waiting for across the street? Can you imagine being in the same room with all them at once?”

They laughed again. See, it really is a good joke.  

But buzzkill on the antidepressants. “Really? You think so?” A new thought sinks in. He answers my question about the spontaneous line of people, “A free Harry Potter mug. With the professor guy, the one who died and was replaced, Dumbledore, that's it, Dumbledore on it.” 

That is the perfect description for the line of people individually and collectively, that is exactly what they looked like, people who would wait patiently a very long time in a very long line for a free Dumbledore mug.