poka bean

out of order

For some time there has been a small post-it note attached to the door of the handicapped stall in the women's bathroom at work that reads OUT OF ORDER. I hadn't given it a second thought until just now when I got up to fetch two very fine and lovely pieces of nice expensive white card stock from the printer area for something I'm working on and decided to go to the bathroom while I was up.

I walked in, set my two very fine and lovely pieces of card stock down on the shelf by the door and then proceeded to go about my business. There was already one other person in a stall when I arrived. Her own stack of papers and pen were sitting on the shelf when I came in and set my things down next to them.

I stepped into the stall next to her and closed the door. I caught a peak at her sandaled feet but didn't recognize them. When she was finished, I heard her flush, wash her hands, and head for the door. But for some reason, she stopped short. The echo of her footsteps indicated she had turned and walked back towards the shelf. It was quiet for a minute and then I caught glimpses of her bright, billowing purple shirt as it appeared in slivers through the cracks in my stall door. She was walking past my stall and clear down to the end of the row to the door with the OUT OF ORDER note on it. In silence, she stopped, turned around, and walked out.

At first I thought this odd but then decided she must have dropped or lost something and was looking for it in the bathroom before leaving.

I finished up my business, washed my hands, and picked up my very fine and lovely pieces of nice expensive white card stock before heading out myself. But wait...there was only one piece. What happened to the other?

I stepped back in and looked around on the floor by the shelf to see if I had dropped it. I didn't see it right away but soon something caught my eye across the room. Sure enough, my card stock was on the bathroom floor but not nearby the shelf and not because I had dropped it. It had been methodically placed at the foot of the handicapped stall door with a small note scribbled on it. I walked over to read it.

"Has it been reported?"

What the heck. You stole my very fine and lovely piece of nice expensive white card stock to leave THIS pointless note?

Effective.

It would have taken you less time to go report the out-of-order stall yourself than to leave this stupid note behind and you wouldn't have had to insult anyone or rip off anyone's nice paper in the process. Who are you Miss High and Mighty Purple Shirt that you think it's not as much YOUR responsibility to report the out-of-order stall as it is anyone else's? Do you think it's up to those lower class Bathroom Trolls who patrol when no one's looking and clean up after your mess?

And did you not notice that there was NOTHING else on the shelf when you walked in? Do you think the Bathroom Trolls also stock very fine and lovely pieces of nice expensive card stock SCRAP PAPER on the shelf after they wipe down the sinks and scrub the floors and refill the soap dispensers so that bathroom patrons can leave little insulting notes behind suggesting SOMEONE out there is being irresponsible or remiss in taking good enough care of the place where you crap?

Cause it's certainly not YOUR responsbility. No, no. You are ENTITLED to a clean and orderly and fully functional bathroom and will quickly bark when you're displeased with the level of service you're receiving. Those darn Bathroom Trolls. Always slacking on the job and falling short in accommodating your every need.

Well let me be the first to say it. You, Miss High and Mighty Purple Shirt, are the one that's out of order.

I know what your shoes and your obnoxious purple shirt look like and I know where you work.

I will find you and you will pay.

Posted by Poka Bean at 10:25 AM