Strange Encounters I

I have two words for you: Public. Restrooms. Especially the ones at work. Does anyone else think that they make for the weirdest experiences? I mean, it's one thing to pee (and whatever else...) in a public restroom at the mall or Target, where you will never see those people again, but it's a whole other thing when you're in the restroom at work and you're doing it within earshot of people that you see everyday. Particularly those people who you don't really know that well. You may or may not know each other's names, but there you are, day in and day out, hearing each other's intimate moments.

I don't know about guys (my husband tells me that they [meaning American men, because in Spain this kind of thing just doesn't happen...]) have no qualms about making any untoward sounds in public, but we women hate to have anyone hear any kind of noise other than the name of the purple teletubbie, if you know what I mean.

Let me tell you a story. One day I was in said public restroom. As I was washing my hands, I was having a little conversation with my friend and co-worker. One stall was occupied, but otherwise we were alone. As I washed my hands, my friend was talking away, really into what she was saying. Now, I can't remember what it was that she was saying. That's because right when she was in the thick of an important point, the person in the stall (I don't know who) let out a really loud fart. It was very long and staccato-y. My friend tried to continue speaking right through the loudness, but we were both distracted from what she was saying and, at the same time, trying to ignore the fart. I could tell that my friend was distracted because she kept pausing and shifting her eyes. My lips were pinched shut and quivering. I was trying as hard as I could not to let out a loud guffaw. I didn't want to be rude to the farter by laughing. (Plus, I didn't want my co-worker to know that I think farts are funny.) By the time I was drying my hands, my friend had gotten it together and was continuing her important point. We walked out of the restroom together, leaving the farting lady to herself. It was all very awkward.

And now, all I have to say in conclusion is that the very same thing happened to me in the same restroom (long before above incident). The only exceptions being that there was just one other person there to hear my loudness, and that I know exactly who she is and she knows exactly who I am. Every time I see her in the halls I wonder if she thinks of me as the loud-farting girl from the bathroom.

Now THAT is awkward.