A Day in the Park

I once worked for a company that would reward their employees at the end of the summer with a “free” day at a local amusement park. The full spectrum – rides, food on the fair grounds – for the full day – rain or shine. On this particular day I was there with my ex, two girls and the boy, who was still in a stroller. Most of the day was spent on the kiddie rides, with an occasional swap off between me and the ex so that one of us could enjoy some of our favorite “you must be this tall” rides.

But the story I’m about to tell isn’t about the rides – it’s about the bathroom there at the park. You know the kind – the large, communal, only one in the park kind. Of course my ex (see the original “Walking Dead” story for background) had just eaten a short time earlier and really needed to go. So into the ladies room she went, with both girls in tow, while the boy and I waited outside, across the way (after all, we’re not perverts).

As I sat and waited, occasionally glancing up to see if they were coming back, I saw something odd. A lady came out, and as she did, she turned to look over her shoulder – then another lady, doing the same thing – almost like they were being chased. My girls appeared, came over and sat down. When I asked where Mom was, they replied “she’s still in there, and it stinks”. I mentioned what I saw, and for the next few minutes we all watched and laughed as, one by one, more women came out, moving at a swift clip, looking distressed and confused as to what might be wrong.

Then out pops the ex, a big grin on her face as she strolls toward us. She was laughing along with us, having no idea what we were laughing at, until I told how I had witnessed the way she had “cleaned out” the ladies room. She didn’t believe me, so I had the girls confirm that they too had witnessed this event.

Well, suffice it to say that the rest of the afternoon was a bust, with old stinky grousing about how it wasn’t funny and me commenting that the other ladies probably didn’t find it funny either. But the girls couldn’t stop laughing, and isn’t that what amusement parks are for?