Is This Seat Taken?

My father is a seat-saver. He loves to lord over his domain, and we
 find him staring fondly at his long row of seats with jackets, books, and other miscellaneous items strewn about them.   He is the guy who shows up 30 minutes early to a movie to ensure that he has the best seats.  I think the happiest I have seen him in a while was a few weeks ago.  He discovered a movie theater where you could actually reserve your seats online.  So when he and my mom showed up for the movie, their thrones awaited them, completely untouched.  When we go to temple, my dad is the one who has to go early to save enough seats for the whole family, enlisting my brother Jake’s support whenever possible.  My mom and I take extra time getting ready, and walk in to find him hovering protectively over his conquest, occasionally shooting someone a warning look if they get too close to his territory.

So what brings this discussion on?  Last weekend, my parents went with some friends to hear a concert in the park.  My dad, of course, got there early.  He did not have a blanket to mark his land, so he used folding chairs and their bags to block off a square.  As the park began to fill up, he was finally challenged.  Some man walked up and started to set up his chair in the center of my dad’s kingdom!  Dumbfounded, my dad mentioned nicely that he was saving seats for his friends.  The man sneered and responded that my father did not own this land.  And so began a battle of name-calling, until the intruder’s wife stepped in. “HAROLD! What are you DOING?”  She pulled him away, and so my dad emerged victorious. 

Proud of his win, my dad called my mom to brag.  He said that he could easily have taken the intruder, which was no big deal, since he was about 80 years old.  But when he was telling my mom and their friends the story, my mom froze.  She told him that Harold was the name of a client’s husband, and they were supposed to be at the concert that night. She asked him to describe the wife, who looked exactly like her client.  Freaking out, she looked around as soon as they arrived and found the couple. Luckily, it was not her client.  Phew, that was a close call.

So, if you find yourself needing to save any seats this summer, I have the perfect item to throw on a chair.  A bag! Large and bold enough to ward off unwelcome seat-stealers, and cute enough to carry around. 

-Emma