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“Sure thing!”
As I veered toward the general area she spoke of, I abruptly came to a stop. Several people wearing STAFF tees were directing the throngs of people to the many different lines.
This was will call? Jesus, there were at least ten ticket windows that were all open, each with a minimum of twenty people per line.
Oh my god, this was going to take forever. I took out my phone, seeing as I had time, and I sent a text off to E.
Lucy:The will call line is longer than the one you made me wait in with you for that Star World thing that opened at Disneyland
And just to be snarky, I added,See ya in a year and a half
She didn’t respond.
The texts hadn’t even been viewed. It was just as well.
Surprisingly though, the line moved at a decent pace. Between the staff directing folks to designated lines and the ones behind the ticket counters, they had this bit figured out.
It was impressive.
Finally, I got to the window.
“Hi, hello,” I started, “my name is Lucy Leighton and I should have a pass to pick up?” I hated that whenever I whipped out my unintentional customer service voice, my inflection at the end changed and without fail, always turned my statements into questions. E always gave me a hard time about it.
After handing over my ID like I was going through customs as opposed to picking up a badge for a comic convention, the woman behind the glass pulled out what looked like a shoebox in front of her, thumbing through the L’s.
Everyone else held their phones up with what I assumed were QR codes or online receipts, so I was happy that E and I had the same last name to keep the efficiency at top notch speed.
“Ah, here it is,” she declared, reaching for a lanyard and clipping it at the hole on the top of the plastic badge.
Thanking her, I took it and placed it over my head, feeling a little badass-y. I had a badge. And one that was hanging around my neck like those backstage VIP’s at concerts.
With my head held a little higher, I passed the people waiting in the main line and made my way inside. But my confidence and sense of being special was quickly stamped out like a bad cigarette when I noticed everyone wearing the same lanyard and badge combo.
No matter; my childish notions were quickly forgotten when I took in my surroundings. Several things hit me at once.
First, though I had seen it from the outside, the glass ceiling was a horizontal cylinder. It ran the length of the building, its tubelike aesthetic giving the space a futuristic quality. It also cast everything and everyone in a sea-glass green hue.
Second, there were two giant escalators that carried the patrons to the second level and beyond like tiny ants in a farm. It was almost mesmerizing to watch the sheer volume that was moved from point A to point B.
Lastly, there were six sets of open doors immediately to my right that said Exhibition Hall. Beyond it appeared to be booths and vendors and a crowd of people were weaving their way in and around the tables.
Checking my phone, I scanned the texts from E. After I had agreed to meet her, she had sent me the pertinent info as to where to find her once I arrived.
The fact that she hadn’t responded to my petty rant about the line being long wasn’t lost on me.
But I scrolled until I found it.E:When you arrive, go to Hall H
Hall H…I entered at a giant circle hanging from the outdoor overhang that was labeledA. Maybe this joint was like an airport and perhaps there were doorsB-Hjust beyond it?
Stepping back into the bright sunlight, there were in fact matching red circles above showing the different letters. So, I began to walk.
And when I say walk, I mean shuffle. Or weave. Or pause. Or halt the second I started again. I felt like I was at Costco during lunch hour with the food vendors handing out free samples. But instead of burdensome shopping carts, I was dealing with people’s swords, helmets and other accessories that were overtly large.
Good god, I could barely move.
And just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, I finally arrived at the redH. It hung from the rafter like a homing beacon saying I had braved the crowds and found the promised land.
A wave of relief washed over me, but it was distinguished as fast as it had formed.
