I stopped in to get a quick manicure yesterday at my favourite quick-manicure “salon.”

I had a rather strange/unique/psych experiment experience just before getting polished.

This particular nail place prides itself on playing Sandra Bullock movies.
I thought maybe Miss Congeniality 2 was on a continuous loop and nobody knew how to stop it. That or Sandra has committed to sponsor OPI nail polish and part of her contract dictates the salons play only her movies 24/7, no exceptions.

Yesterday, despite having NO kids in the facility, the staff somehow cracked the code and removed the old VHS of Ms. Bullock and replaced it with Tarzan, the Disney cartoon.

About five minutes into the film, the girl filing my nails stopped and pointed at the screen.

It was as if the movie was way more important than the job at hand. It was bigger than a manicure. It was bigger than all of us.

She nodded at me and pointed at the screen while Phil Collins sang along to a cartoon baby being babysat by a cartoon gorilla.

Her eyes filled with tears and she said, “I love this movie.”

We stared at each other for an uncomfortable moment holding hands.

She cried some more. I hummed along to Phil because his music does speak to me. She tried to compose herself and I did wonder if maybe, MAYBE her baby had been kidnapped by a jungle animal because there was no other reason to be sobbing like this.

I looked everywhere for a hidden camera and even ducked under the table to see if Sandra Bullock was going to jump out and tell me I was on a new reality show called “Tarzanned!”

No luck.