Less than honest discounts

Last weekend, on that rainy Saturday in New York when we were looking for an escape from the weather, we ended up ducking down to the Subway and making our way to Central Park and the lobby of the very crowded, but still very intriguing, Natural History Museum. The line for tickets, kept neat by linked velvet ropes, snaked around and doubled over on itself five or six times, and we stood open-mouthed for just a moment, deciding what to do. Luckily, they have installed do-it-yourself ticket machines, following cues from any airport or grocery store, and we waited for mere minutes to finish our transaction, 21st century style. There, we checked out as 3 adults and one student...and that student would be me.

At museums, or any cultural experience put behind the barrier of ticket booths, I have, for two years now, pulled the I.D. from my old Alma Mater quickly from my wallet, bandied it about tauntingly under the noses of whoever I was with, and said discreetly "My I.D. is labeled as still valid! I can still pass as a student, I get a decent discount, and no one will know!" I kept my I.D. out as we headed into the museum, ready to present the evidence assuringly if any ticket-taker dare question my status, but no one did. I put it back in my wallet with a sigh, before checking one last time the tiny date printed in the corner: 08/09. It was my very last student discount. Now, with a heavy heart, I have to retire the I.D. for good. Finally, after two years of sneaking around pretending to be a student, I have to own up to my true status as a salary-earning, full-price-paying adult. It hurts. Then again, there's always senior discount to look forward to!