Life In Line at the ATM
I drove into the ATM lane at my local bank. I was short on time for a haircut appointment. I normally don’t have cash on hand but wanted to make sure I had enough for a tip for my very favorite hair stylist. The experience reminded me of how grumpy I can become when short on cash.
As I pulled up, there were two ATM lines. Of course, I chose the line with only one car ahead of me. I pulled up, looked at my watch to note how much time I had before I was officially late. I sat there waiting and waiting as the action in front of me felt very idle. I noticed there was no activity outside the driver’s side of the car. I swear, it was an eternity later when I saw the window go down and the arm reach with the card to enter the card slot. This arm was just now getting started? I mean, what had this person been doing this whole time, their daily Wordle? You know, every minute in the ATM line feels like an hour. Not only that, but people like me also sometimes leave their patience at home.
ATM experiences can be quite annoying. You know you’re in for the long wait when the person pulls up to the machine and then parks. Chances are when this happens, you can hear me say out loud, “Oh goodness” or something less lady-like. I can always tell those people who wait until after they park before beginning the search for their card. I imagine them retrieving their wallet while humming their favorite easy pop tune to find the correct bank card. Even worse, there are those who pull up to the ATM, request a deposit envelop, and proceed to fill out their deposit slip and endorse the check all while the line of waiting cars gets longer and longer. As I sit impatiently behind them, I envision them checking and double checking their math before they return the deposit envelop into the appropriate slot. Then, after confirming the deposit receipt, they decide to withdraw some cash. Then, once the cash is dispensed, they neatly place the money into their wallet and return the wallet to its rightful place; either pocket or purse. Then they press the option to print a receipt for inspection. It's then they look into the bank camera with a smile and a wave as if they’d just had a personal interaction with bank machine’s automated salutations. By this time, a relationship had blossomed. Then, I see the break lights ignite and the car vibrate meaning engine is back on. I’m all for being thorough and organized, but this is just over the top.
Wow, is all I can say for my pre-haircut ATM experience. For the record, I did make my appointment on time which means my ATM stop probably didn’t take as long as it seemed in the moment. However, the most notable moment of the experience was when I saw the car ahead of me finally pull out of the ATM line. I noticed little arms reach out the various other windows. That means, perhaps inside the car was a bit of chaos for the driver. Multitasking with fussy children is never easy. Suddenly all my grumpiness dissipated. All I could hope was this carload was on its way to a fun summertime outing where any fussiness would morph into fun. I made a note to myself to remember; you never know what goes on inside the car while outside the ATM. Next time I’ll leave my grumpiness at home.