It had to happen sooner or later.
My special place at work my Sanctuary, read HERE, has been invaded. As I detailed in the linked entry above from last year, there is a bathroom on an empty floor of my building that no one seems to know about but me and the cleaning people who clean it once a week. My little retreat from the work day.
The last few days I had the feeling that someone had been there. Not what you're thinking, there was no real "physical evidence" per se, but just a sixth sense that another human had dared enter my domain. So I did what any very busy person who doesn't have a moment to spare would do. I staked out the place.
First, I visited once an hour. If I could see signs of invasion, I could narrow in on a time when this SCUM OF THE EARTH visited my pristine paradise. I left the next paper towel on the rack with a small tear at the bottom so that I would know when hands had been washed. Had I found out the scoundrel didn't wash their hands? Well I won't even go into the consequences if I found that out.
After a couple of days the evidence supported that this person visited nearly daily in the 10am to 11am range.
Much as I would love to, I couldn't wait and spy for a whole hour. But fifteen minutes I could spare. At 10:10am I heard footsteps coming up the stairwell towards the mostly empty floor. The footsteps were loud and sort of horse-like clippity-clomp. A big bastard eh? That's okay I would still kick their ass for the horrible affront to my precious lavatory. The cretin's footsteps ceased as he/she/it reached the door. I was hiding behind just cracked door to one of the empty spaces that will one day be offices. The air was still and not a sound was to be heard. The doorknob turned. Slowly the creaky door opened rupturing the calm of the semi-dark hallway.
As I thought of this breach of that one little thing that sometimes made work a little better, I seeted with anger. It was unsettling that someone else's wretched buttocks might be plopping down on MY seat. This person could have any number of diseases, maybe even that new bird flu stuff or maybe their ass was just nasty and smelled bad. Oh I felt so violated.
A figure emerged through the doorway. A slight figure it turns out and it headed towards my vantage point.
The clippity-clop stepped through the dark area of the hallway and just came into the light and I gasped as I saw that.....
it was a young lady from the doctor's office on the third floor (the floor below)the receptionist in fact. A very nice looking and one could even say fairly "hot" young lady. The clippity-clomp had been the heels she was wearing.
I was confused for a second as I watched her head towards my sanctuary. And rather than being disgusted at what I had imagined about the ass that would perch on my throne, you know a 400 pound guy with a hairy, pimple riddled ass, I realized that was likely a very nice ass was on it instead. Hmmm.
She re-emerged a couple minutes later, looked to and fro and headed back past me down the hallway, likely happy with her relatively unused bathroom discovery. I was curious enough to follow up by going into the bathroom to see what sort of bathroom "partner" she may be. C'mon you would too, you know it. Yes, she had washed her hands. In the air her perfume lingered. It was like a spring-time meadow!
Alright, thought I, this will be okay after all. Suddenly knowing that SHE was the person sitting on my throne it didn't bother like it might otherwise have. And of course we know that women never use the facility for anything but no.1 so how bad could it be?
As long as she tells no one else I can live with this. I don't think she will. Finding a clean, undisturbed place to go to the bathroom is one of life's secret pleasures and not something you want to share with others.
So my bathroom is co-ed now. I'll just have to avoid the area during "her time" in the morning. I can't imagine the awkward moment of running into each other in the hallway one day.
Well I guess nothing lasts forever. It's the end of an era for me.