GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Following this week’s announcement of the next several Avatar film’s release dates, a fan of the series has requested the day of December 21st, 2029 off of work to catch the premiere of the fourth installment, his manager confirmed.
“Oh man, I sure hope no one else has requested that day off yet, being so close to the holiday and everything,” said Curtis Chapman, a local line cook as he submitted his request for time off. “I have to see Avatar 4 on opening night. I just have to. I wrote a note in my request that if they really really needed me I could probably work until like the early afternoon on December 21st, 2029, but not too late if at all possible. I want to get there good and early, and I don’t know what the winters are going to be like by then so I don’t know what the drive will be like.”
Senior staff members were surprised to discover an employee requesting a day off six and a half years from now.
“I’ve never had someone request off so far in advance,” said Carl Mendenhall, general manager of The Olive Garden restaurant where the incident occurred. “I’ll pencil it in, but if Curtis hasn’t done his side work that week, I’m not sure I can give him the whole day off. Maybe he could trade with someone else if or something. That’s a weekend shift in 2029 we’re talking about, after all.”
Several coworkers have pledged to help Chapman if need be.
“I told him I’d cover his shift if it came down to it, I know how much it would devastate Curtis to miss opening night of Avatar” said Kyle Shaffer, a coworker of Chapman’s. “But I also told him if I don’t still work here there’s not a lot I can do for him. And the odds of that are good, since no one in the kitchen has worked here for longer than nine months. We’ll see though, I guess.”
As of press time, Chapman had pre-ordered an extra ticket for the fourth Avatar movie in case he had a kid by then.
