Cue the queue

Getting around New York City by subway in recent days hasn't been the most pleasant experience. Not because I live in fear of a terrorist attack. It's the blasted heat that's the problem. The temperature on the street is bad enough without having to endure the furnace below ground. A few days ago I decided to take a bus, and that's something I rarely do. There seemed to be a queue at the bus stop, so I joined it, and people were quite orderly about getting on the vehicle. Then a retired middle-class gentleman geezer showed up and started elbowing past me.

"Have the good manners to wait your turn," I said.

"Why? What was I doing?" he responded.

"You were pushing in," I said, pointing out the obvious.

"Well, now you're happy you're ahead of me."

"Darling, I'm way ahead of you!" I said triumphantly and climbed onto the bus.

That little episode got me thinking that it's time people here adopted the marvellous practice of queueing. It's good manners, it's fair and it's orderly. It also helps one survive the hot days by eliminating one way of getting bent out of shape by the bad behaviour of others.

America, take my cue and form a queue.