Pushing My Buttons

My girlfriend has a fear of touching the base of irons. It doesn't matter whether or not the iron is on- if it's an iron, she doesn't wanna touch it. I suppose the simple reason is a fear that the day she touches one is the day she'll have second degree burns. I realized moments ago that I have a similar fear.

Many businesses now have a buzzer system in place at their front entrance, and in many cases within the offices as well. There was a time when, to enter such an office, you'd be required to press a little round white button on the outside of the front door. And in many cases, that's still the case. However, for some reason unknown by me, many business places now have rectangular 'EMERGENCY' buttons for the same purpose...

I'm not sure if it's ever occurred to business owners that an 'emergency' is not something that's dealt with by the person at the information desk. Nevertheless, this button seems to be the way forward... press it, a bell chimes inside, and the person at the information desk, or the security guard, or someone else will in turn press some button inside to let you in. Chances are, that second button will say 'EMERGENCY' too.

Anyway, my fear, it seems, is using that button. As far as I see it, an emergency is an emergency, and an emergency button should be an emergency button. I've gotten a little silly with it though, because I'm very hesitant to press it sometimes, even when there could be no other logical purpose for it except to get let in. I start to wonder if that little round white button is nearby and I'm simply not seeing it.

But when it comes down to it, people are the way they are for a reason. I am no different... A few years ago, I went about acquiring jerseys for a particular group. The trip had me visiting this sports store on a regular basis. It's a small store, and the button to let people into it was on the opposite side of the room from where the workers sat. So whenever someone buzzed, they'd get up and buzz or ask a customer to press it for them. Anyway, one day I went into the store, and only one employee was in, and he was tied up on the phone. The buzzer went off, and I turned around to see a customer waiting outside. I went over and pressed the button to let him in. It didn't seem to be working. The employee came over soon after, pressed the button, and let the customer in.

About 5 to 10 minutes later, the buzzer went off, and some armed security guards walked in. The employee went over to talk to them, and then asked the customers, "Did anybody press the emergency button?" A friend who was with me took the fall, though I'm not sure why. "You realize you just called in the security people?" Apparently, there was a second button on the wall. But, having gotten use to seeing these damn 'Emergency' buttons, I pressed it and didn't think twice. And I almost got shot for it.

These days, I prefer to knock.