The Theater Dilemma: Popcorn.

This story lends insight into the movie theater popcorn mess, and who is really behind it.

The Theater Dilemma: Popcorn.

I had looked forward to this outing as much as my two grandsons. We had watched the trailer of Paddington Bear two weeks prior, and laughed all the way through. I had no fear that 6 year old Dylan would enjoy going to the movies, but the energy 3 year old Jaden had me question what tools I would use to keep him content for the affair. Popcorn came to mind. Of course popcorn is a necessity at the movies, but knowing just how much Jaden enjoyed the stuff gave me a sense of calm. This was to be my main weapon of action!

The fun began at the order counter. The children’s packs included a small pop, a package of candy, and a small tub of mouth-watering popcorn. Why not sugar up? I thought. I looked at the two overfull buckets of popped buttery corn and wondered if the grain would counter balance any potential sugar high!

Soon we moved along to the darkened theatre to find our seats. The kids hugged their individual containers of pop and candy, and I carried the popcorn, my drink, hats, mitts, and a booster seat for Jaden, with amazing ease and only a little popcorn dropping from the buckets! Surprisingly, there were only about 10 people in the theatre. This reflected life in a small community rather than the movie itself. The delicious smell of popcorn drifted towards me and I was tempted at the distraction, but quickly caught myself as my two charges scrambled ahead. Now the fun began.

Thankful for the cup holders situated on the back of each seat, I found a place for all of the drinks and the tubs of popcorn. I was however, guilty of the next popcorn spill as I scrambled to house everything. A few pieces dropped near my feet and in the darkness, I stepped on most of them!

Once I had the booster seat in place, Jaden scrambled happily aboard. By this time the dark hats and mitts had fallen from my own seat, between the back and reclined front. Fishing around the floor underneath, I was able to retrieve all of the items and by the time I was happily finished, Jaden had descended back to the floor and was arranging his tub of popcorn, skittles, and drink around the sides of his seat, attempting to prop each at a reachable position. I used the hats and mitts to assist him in this endeavor, and in doing so my arm caught the top of his popcorn once again, tossing a few more of the buttery fluff balls out of the container. This time they fell between the seats. I was able to distract Jaden from retrieving them by offering to open his Skittles, but first came the task of helping him back onto the booster seat without any more spills. The screen before us jumped to life, and I realized I had yet to sit down. The couple, who were seated two rows behind us, caught my attention and I realized how disorganized I must appear to them. I hurried to find my place.

All the while, Dylan had found his seat on the other side of me, and was pleasantly content munching on his skittles and sipping his drink. Concerned that he would be too hot, I offered to help with his jacket. In the process of removing it, only a few pieces of popcorn found their way to the floor. I decided that the popcorn buckets were too full and offered to eat a few, thereby rectifying the problem. I only dropped a few pieces in my plight, and was quite satisfied at the buttery flavor.

My grandsons’ laughter and their concentration on the movie told me how much they were enjoying it. I continued to assist them by passing drinks and making sure treats didn’t fall. The next spill came with the boy’s request for a bathroom visit. Helping Jaden down from his seat caused the package of Skittles to spill, luckily most of which landed on his booster seat and we were able to retrieve them. In my attempt to stop him from picking up any that had landed on the floor, I knocked the popcorn bucket, causing another spill, albeit a small one as my reflexes were quick. So far, Dylan had managed his treats with no catastrophe, and I was thankful for this.

Our bathroom interlude went without incident and we returned quickly, not wanting to miss any action. I offered to hold Dylan’s popcorn, which by now was half eaten, while he climbed into his seat, and couldn’t resist his offer to try a few pieces. I only knocked one or two more bits to the floor, but after all that isn’t surprising as popcorn does seem to push its way out of the hand, being so rough it doesn’t compress much.

I was so impressed at my two young grandsons. Their attention to the movie was unbelievable given the sugar they were consuming. Maybe there is something to that idea about the grains, I thought. I reflected back to my own childhood movie days. Not much had changed, I decided, except the popcorn was likely much tastier. Of the pieces that were scattered on our seats, and trampled on the floor, I reflected on my own clumsiness as a child. Soon the movie was done and the lights came on, which made it so much easier to collect our things. I did feel bad about the mess and attempted to brush popcorn from the seats. But with the task of getting the kids ready to leave, and gathering the left over treats, I had to ignore the mess and focus. Well I was certain that the theatre staff would expect such a mess, after all they were running a children’s movie and we can expect that when children are distracted, there will be spills!





Written for The Writer's Cramp.995 words.