217. It shouldn't be a village. If it is a village, more need to participate.

R and I just got back from watching King Kong.

Was it good? I'm pretty sure it was. We'll have to see it again for me to know.

A mother left her two high energy children--if I had to guess, ages 6 and 7--in our row (near the front where we like to sit) and trotted up to the middle of the theatre. A couple sat between us and the kids, and another couple sat in front of the first couple.

During the slower scenes, about 65% of the movie, the sister and brother talked. When they weren't talking they were banging things--god knows what--together. Approximately 15 minutes into the movie, after constant chatter, and when I could stand it no longer, they jumped up one row. I had them.

"Hey, kids."

With surprised eyes, they looked up at me.

"Shut up," I said.

"What?!" It was like they never heard those words before.

"Shut up. Be quiet."

They just stared at me in disbelief. "Oh, they must be special kids," I thought to myself as I put my finger to my lips--the universal shhh sign.

The kids surprised me by staying quiet, after moving up to their original seats (out of my line of sight), for 20 minutes.

I was hoping that my gumption would inspire the other obviously annoyed, four fidgeting adults to shush the kids when they again became noisy.

What happened next almost sent me to the floor rolling with laughter. Of course the kids became bored again, and so the adults looked to ME!!! It was the classic the last person to touch it is now responsible for it look.

I don't understand why the other adults chose to fidget-and-bear-it. Were they afraid to say something? Afraid of the children? Afraid of the absent adult? Did they think "Not my kids, not my problem"? Were they Jesus, Ghandi, Buddha, and Mother Theresa in disguise? (Actually, I believe the first three dudes would have said something, although, maybe more lovingly than I did.) I don't understand how they, the adults, could just sit there, be annoyed, and fidget during a 3 hour and $10 movie.

R and I remained seated after the movie. I watched the two kids get up and wait for their mother. She and I made eye contact, and I knew by the way she quickly looked down and away that she was aware of the commotion her kids were causing. So, I said to her, "Your kids ruined our movie; they were loud and not being supervised."

"So what?" she responded. See, she knew.

"You should reimburse us the cost of our tickets." Go ahead, say it.

"Fuck you." Ah, there it is. Good ol' predicability.

"I feel sorry for you and your kids." Mainly, your kids, you stupid cow.

"Bitch," and away she went with her two stone faced kids.

The house reimbursed us the ticket price-no questions asked. We saw the family outside the theatre as they were waiting in line to pay the parking ticket machine. The mother kept her back to us, and the two kids' eyes followed us as we walked by and descended the escalators. They looked ashamed, and just then I felt a pang of sadness for what their mother put them through-from the beginning of the movie to that last moment. I hope we are the last people they bother during a movie, and I hope it will be their mother's doing next time.