190 - "Not here!" Cinema knife threat

The Screen cinema by D'Olier street, Dublin. 1994

These events and many others happened at a time in my early twenties when my life had gone down the toilet thanks to bad decisions and worse company. Briefly homeless, sleeping on floors and then managing to scrape up the money for a bedsit.

But as the saying goes…

Good judgment comes from experience and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

And I’m living (still, thankfully) proof of the validity of that…

I used to spend whole days alone just walking round the city, at night too. Movies were cheap and a good way to pass time. The Screen would show some cool old ones.

Smallish place with a screen to the right of the ticket desk.

Early afternoon show.

I sat centre, a few rows from the front, alone.

The film started, place was half empty. Mostly lone movie buffs like me, occasional friends etc.

About 15 mins or more, the exit doors open and two guys walk in loudly and sit talking in the row behind me and right at the aisle.

Give them  minute, they'll shut up.

But of course, they don't.

Loud, laughing, thick north side accents. It's a unique nasal tone that grates especially over the top of your movie..

“Ah, dis bits fookin deadly, where he sticks the gun up his sleeve man!”

This would be it for the rest of the film – fuck everyone else, they were having a blast.

Insightful observations on film making broadcast through his nose for the benefit of all assembled.

Fuck this…

My right arm across the seat I turned and said something tactful like:

“Mate , I've paid to watch this film not listen to you. Do you want to shut the fuck up?”

Silence … consisting of :

• Others thinking – “Glad he said it and I didn't have to”.

• Two guys, unsmiling and eyes fixed on me.

I turned back to the movie.

There was a sudden noise of the seat flicking back up and one of the guys barged up the empty row and sat right behind me. I turned my head just enough to see the edge of his leg sitting right over me in the dark. Shit.

I had an overpowering feeling I was about to have my throat cut – no idea why, nothing at that point to base it on, just felt it.

It seemed like an eternity, I didn't want to seem rattled and look round but I prepared to MOVE! if anything passed either shoulder. My shoulders shrugged, I dropped my chin instinctively denying easy access to my neck. I could hear pissed off, quickened nasal breathing from behind.

His seat moved, knees shoved my back, I shifted forward fast but he had returned and sat heavily next to his friend.

The movie continued, I settled back, eyes front.

Angry whispering. They both got up and walked down to the front right of the screen, leaning against the wall near the exit. One stooped down to the floor around his ankle and then stood. The two of them looked at something now inside one of their jackets. Black, baggy fashion type leather. They looked over at me, stink eye, then back to each other and I heard:

“Not here!”

They both returned to their seats. I was now convinced they were armed.

Heavy silence.

Adrenaline, pulse pounding in veins. Shallow breath listening out for any movement but not turning to look. Appear unphased. The movie was reduced to abstract lights and noise as my mind raced.

I knew exactly how this would play out. They'd follow me out at the end of the film and I'd be challenged and stabbed outside the cinema or followed if I was stupid enough to lead them to my nearby bedsit and would probably not make it that far.

I decided to get the jump on them.

I stood and walked straight to the exit and went to the old guy who was the “security” at the desk. Nice older guy, 40’s.

“There's a problem inside with those two guys that came in late – ring the cops”.

“Sure, I knew they were trouble as soon as they arrived”, he said with a sigh.

“I'll walk you out, just in case…”

Bang on cue…

The two cunts arrived at the exit having followed me out.

Rough looking scangers. They weren't kids, mid 20’s dark clothing and dagger looks as they stood there in the exit not moving forward.

They stayed put watching. As we walked to the front doors, the older guy said to me, “ You head out I'll slow them down”.

“Thanks man…” I got outside to the corner and ran to get as much distance ahead of them when they followed. Which I fully expected them to do.

Round the corner to the quays and gone.

Always trust your gut feeling.

Act and draw attention.

Do unexpected things.

Watch your mouth with unknowns - it rarely goes well. I'd misjudged the social pressure of others being there, thinking it would make them shut up and had instead committed the respect culture 101 error:

No dis goes unpunished.

My low state of mind also allowed me to get aggressive too soon rather than thinking to be more polite (which probably wouldn’t have gone well either) and then try at the desk. I brought my own baggage to that one, big mistake.

Hard times toughen you up and are a great educator – but at the time you can be under such intense pressure that it's sometimes the case that you go from mistake to mistake before you find a way out.

To this day, I’m convinced that there was a knife – 2nd position – whether he planned to access it behind me – boot/sock knife, deliberated and then went to the front. It seems bizarre that they would do this in front of others but dudes like this were brazen and didn’t give much of a fuck about people as was clear with what happened next. But the way it works, there’s the possibly the briefest tell of a knife from behaviour but no direct sight of it until it’s too late.

I’m also sure that if I turned and acted in some way when the one guy was behind me, the fight would have started there and then. Staying still was a roulette wheel spin on my behalf and he seemed to have a moment too long, maybe he wanted me to react then but had to start thinking of a plan B. Who knows.

To the guy at the desk, Mate, thanks for watching my back. I owe you one.