Seeing a movie by myself was not something I relished, but considering what I had been through recently, it was the best way to distract myself and just zone out for a while. A messy divorce, losing my dogs, the house, the car, at least the judge made him give me some money so I could try to get back on my feet. I still had my job, my health and clothes, so that was a good thing.
Turns out it wasn't a very popular movie, as when the lights went down and the movie started, there were still 60% of the seats empty. The ads played across the screen for the popcorn, candy and beverages in the concession area. I already had my snacks and was casually munching on them. The opening credits rolled and the movie started with its normal music and action.
I was sitting there, enjoying the dramatics of the movie, when all of a sudden, something came flying over my shoulder and landed in the hair of the lady in front of me. I stared at the wad of gum hanging in the woman's hair in front of me. Based on the angle and force with which it shot across my shoulder and landed, I slowly turned over my right shoulder and looked at the person in the next row back, the only one in the area from whom that could have come. I picked up my popcorn and drink and moved courteously three seats to my left. I nodded to the person where the gum came from for them to come down and sort it out.
I noticed his features as the movie was now showing scenes with a lot of light in them. It was a man, about mid forties, dark hair, chiseled face, the lightest blue eyes I had ever seen. He carefully moved down to the seat where I had been sitting. I tried not to stare, but I watched out of the corner of my eye as he took a napkin out of his pocket and tried to wipe the gum out while trying to hold the hair above it still. The napkin only made it spread further out and gather more hair into the gum. He then thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers, saw me watching him, gave me a thumbs up and I blushed and faced forward with a slight smile on my face. He courteously got up and went outside, returning a moment later with napkins and an iced drink, which he was sipping quite quickly.
Once he returned to my former seat, he quietly took the lid off the cup and proceeded to try to freeze the gum out of the lady's hair. I tried to focus on the movie, but my brain and heart had other ideas, clearly and my eyes drifted back to the gum scene. The ice was sort of working, as he had gotten it to move down to the end of the long hair. How the lady didn't notice, I truly have no clue as a couple of times I thought the jerking of the gum in the hair would have gotten her attention. Now that he had it at the bottom of her hair, he was using more ice, on both sides of the gum and at one point the gum and the ice was stuck to his fingers.
I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing as he looked over at me with a sort of 'help me' look. I tried to think of what I had in my handbag that could have helped, then I remembered my granddad's pocket knife that I carried with me everywhere since he died. I took it out, activated all the different functions and found scissors and a knife (of course), I closed it up and moved over next to him, not really wanting to be a part of this, but then I usually always helped someone in distress, and that's how I ended up in a bad marriage, again.
I motioned for him to drop the ice if he could, and it just melted by the time I got the pocket knife out. He motioned for me to blow on his hands to warm them up, without a moment's hesitation, I did, getting as close to his hands and the lady's hair as I dared. The gum began to sweat and his fingers soon released from it. He wiped them dry on the napkins and motioned that he would hold the hair still while I cut just above the gum. Soon her hair was free of the gum wad, but then there was a little unevenness to her hair now. He put the gum and hair in a napkin and placed it in the cup in the holder.
He held his hand out for the pocket knife, and skillfully trimmed the lady's hair so the unevenness wouldn't show so much. He gathered the rest of the hair trimmings and placed them in the cup as well, then put the lid on it. Handing me back the pocket knife, he motioned for us to move back down where my popcorn and drink were, so we did.
We continued to watch the movie to the end. We didn't wait for the lady to leave, so just as the end credits rolled, we got up, gathered our drink cups and popcorn container and left. Once out in the corridor, after throwing out our garbage, he said thank you to me, and I responded that it was no problem. He had the most divine Scottish voice, it was so smooth and rich it could melt butter just by being in the same room as he spoke. I tried to keep my composure, said goodbye and started to walk off to the bus stop.
I could feel his eyes on me as I walked away, he soon caught up to me and asked if he could take me to dinner as a thank you. I hesitated, then relented and we walked to a little home cooking restaurant just around the corner. As we sat there chatting, waiting for our food, the lady whose hair we trimmed walked by. I mentioned that he did a good job at trimming, as it was hardly noticeable. He was grateful that he got away with it and was very glad that I could be his partner in crime.