Print

Print


Paul, David, et all -

The tale of the restroom adventure sounded familiar.  Been there, done that
(with the broken lock) and definitely felt a sense of panic.

That story reminded me of another restroom adventure I had many years ago.  I
walked the campus of the U. of Kansas in a pouring rain, holding an umbrella
and hoping to stay dry enough to comfortably teach my next class.  Also
thinking of comfort, I folded up my umbrella when I got to the building, and
carried it, dripping wet, into the restroom with me.  Naturally, once in the
stall, I locked the door and hung the folded umbrella from the hook provided
on the back of the door.

After seating myself comfortably, mentally reviewing the lesson plans for the
next class, I was startled into alertness by a FWOOOP!! as the umbrella
opened up from the pull of gravity, and snap-locked itself into the open
position.  There I was, seated, the umbrella filling the ENTIRE stall, the
front edge just under my chin.  "Well, I thought, that was unexpected and
amusing.  Now I'll just reach up and unsnap the lock on the shaft of the
umbrella, and I'll be off to class."

No such luck.  With the umbrella in the open position, I couldn't, while
seated, reach over the spread of the umbrella to touch the locking lever.  I
couldn't stand up, because the open umbrella prevented me from getting my
legs under me with the porcelain convenience pressing into the backs of my
legs.  I also couldn't, in that position, pull up my slacks so I could stand
in the back of the stall beside the toilet.

I finally thought to inch myself around, a  tiny bit at a time, until I was
seated sideways, and then was able to lever myself into a standing position
from the very tiny back corner space of the stall.  Once I was standing, of
course I could reach the snap lock and fold the umbrella, and could then
reassemble my clothing so I could leave the stall.

The grand finale of all of this was that the whole incident struck me as so
unheard of and amusing that I emerged from the stall chuckling aloud, and
felt I HAD to tell that story to someone.  I chuckled my way up to one of the
sinks, and commented to the person at the next sink, "You won't *believe*
what just happened to me in that stall!"  At which point the girl looked at
me in alarm, and fled the restroom, taking her damp paper towel with her in
her haste.

Hope you enjoyed that adventure.  Margie