Everyone Thinks Everyone Else is an Idiot

The last two weeks at work have been really busy after coming back from vacation and having a huge project underway with one team member out on vacation and another out on maternity leave. I was the only one left on our three-person team, and because I'm paranoid about not making the deadline which was specially extended for me, I'd been working through lunch and staying late every night.

With so much work to complete, I had no time to run lunchtime errands, but needed to make a withdrawal from the ATM before heading home. Time would be tight to make my train, but seeing no line for the ATM that I passed by on the way to Grand Central, I figured I could squeeze in a couple of minutes to get some cash. It was raining, and as I fumbled around in my purse to find my ATM card, a lady on the other side of the CHASE door that I was trying to get into was frantically pushing all of three of the doors trying to get out.

Poor lady...looks stressed...maybe if she would calm down a bit, she'll remember how to open a door.

I swiped my card on the cardreader, but with both the lady and myself trying to push the door open, nothing would open. So, I swiped again, and let the lady do all the pushing. The door opened, and she jetted out as I slipped in. All ATMs were empty. There was only one other lady waiting around staring out the window.

Hmmm...she probably forgot her umbrella and is waiting out the rain. Hope she brought a book or has a lot of minutes to burn.

I quickly withdrew what I needed and headed back out to Grand Central. There was plenty of time to catch my train. I reached a door and gave it a shove only to find it locked. No big deal. There were two other doors to try. I gave the door right next to it a good shove, but it was locked, too. Now I was getting a bit worried. There was only one more door to try, and after slamming my full weight against it, I found that it, too, was locked.

These were the only doors out. I was locked inside a CHASE ATM lobby. Now, I was frantically shoving all three doors, but nothing worked. I couldn't get out. I went back over to the ATMs and tried to talk to the lady who was still staring blankly out the window.

Excuse me? Hello? Excuse me, Miss.

No response. She wouldn't even look at me. What was wrong with her? How could she not know I was trying to talk to her?! I was the only other person in the lobby, and right up to her face!!

Miss? Excuse me? Miss?

She continued to ignore me, and started dialing her cell phone to talk to someone else. Seeing that she was no help, I went back to frantically shove all three doors. What was wrong with everybody?! The entire ATM lobby was made of clear glass and located in a busy intersection. Couldn't people see that I couldn't get out? I was frantically shoving all three doors!

After a minute of door-shoving, a man walked by to use the ATM and looked slightly amused at how nervously ineffective I was at opening doors. He slid his card against the card reader and opened the door for me, not once thinking that this same scenario might happen to him next. I stopped him as he headed past me.

Hey, I just want to warn you that you might not be able to get out. The lady before me was stuck in here, too, until I let her out.

A slight look of panic crossed his face.

Seriously? Do you have a second? Can you hold the door for me? Where's the ATM? I'll be right back. Please wait! I'll be right back!

Of course I'd wait. How rude of me would it be to lock him in after he'd let me out? I held the door for about a minute while the man made his withdrawal. In that time, two people walked in as I held the door open. A minute later, the man returned, and I ran down the street to catch my train. I felt a little bad about leaving the other two trapped inside.

At least there's two of them. They could keep each other company. Maybe even get the stone wall to talk. Within five minutes someone else will need to use the ATM and let them out.

And then another round would start.