One of those places is the major downtown theater here in Sunland. A touring company is performing Annie. Tickets start at thirty dollars a seat, but with Girls Scouts we could get tickets for fifteen dollars. I wasn't too excited about as that is still a huge amount of money, and the show didn't start until seven thirty, which is already passed Ash's bedtime, but the other moms and girls were thrilled so we made it our troop activity.
Yesterday after getting ready I asked Drek if he thought my outfit was fancy enough for the theater.
"It doesn't matter. You'll be wearing a baby. They can't kick you out."
"They can't?"
"If they kicked out a mom with the nursing baby for any reason the headlines would be too ugly. You could be the worst behaved patron ever but as soon as they see you have a baby they can't do anything." I smiled. It was true. I could always stage a nurse-in.
Both Tabs and Ash fell asleep on the long drive down there, which was great because traffic was horrible and I really didn't need distractions. After spending way too long finding a parking lot that didn't cost an arm and a leg we finally parked and I woke up both girls. I strapped Tabs into my Tula, took Ash's hand and we walked the short distance to the theater and arrived just five minutes before showtime.
Thrilled that we had made it safely I smiled as I hand my two tickets to the employee. He scanned both tickets then said "You have three tickets?"
"No." I smiled. "Just two. Just us."
The woman looked at both tickets. "There are three of you?"
"Nope, just two." I smiled.
She tried rewording. "Do you have a ticket for the baby."
"No!" I laughed. Then I realized she was actually asking. I frowned. "She's only two months! Do I need a ticket?"
The woman did not answer. Instead she told me to wait there. A few minutes later she came back with her manager.
"There are three people and only two tickets?" He asked
"Well, it's just us. The baby doesn't need a seat. She's only two months. Do I really need a ticket for her?" At this point I was very nervous. The manager nodded and said he'd be right back. A few minutes later he came back with a somber expression on his face. The bell sounded for everyone to take their seats.
"I'm afraid the rules state that every person must have a ticket, even if they do not require a seat."
"Oh." I said dumbly. "There isn't an exception for nursing infants?"
"You can purchase one right here at the box office." He offered.
I glanced over at the box office and noted that the thirty dollar seats were all sold out. I wondered they would still let me pay the fifteen dollars. After all, she didn't need a seat! Then again, I was debating if I should just call it a night and drive home. Fifteen dollars for a baby was ridiculous. The bell sounded again.
"So, I'm the troop leader of my daughter's Girl Scout Troop." I started to explain. "And the troop is here tonight for the show. Is there a way I could take her to her seat and then just wait in the lobby with the baby?"
The manager frowned.
"She wouldn't be unsupervised. All the other girl scouts are here with their moms."
"You're a girl scout leader?" He asked.
"Yes, and we purchased the tickets as a troop activity. We are here for the performance and the special Q&A session with the cast afterward. I feel like I need to be there for that."
He looked at me. He looked at Ash. He looked at Tabs, sleeping soundly in the Tula.
He escorted us to our seats. The other girls and moms were already there. We sat down just as the lights dimmed. Before he left, the manager warned me that if the baby made a sound, I was to take her out immediately. I nodded solemnly, thinking instead of sneaking in I should have made a fuss and staged a nurse-in.
The show was wonderful. Everything went well until just after the intermission, when Ash stood on her seat and her foot slipped down between the two cushions. He leg was stuck. She panicked.
I handed Tabs to another mom and tried to calm Ash down while I yanked her leg out. I did free it, but there was a huge scrape along her ankle and she was crying. I picked her up and took her to the restroom, where I washed off her scrape and wiped away her tears. After a few minutes she calmed down and we went back in to watch the rest of the show. Tabs slept through the whole thing.
No wonder our seats were so discounted; They ate little girls!