The Bathroom Door

Easter is one those holidays where all of family in a 50 mile radius come to my parent’s house for a huge meal. Despite the fact that we all live in the same state, there are little things we all do differently that I assumed everyone did the same. Case in point: How do you deal with the bathroom door once you’re done?

I was raised with the following procedure: when finished one turns the lights out and leaves the door open. This clearly shows that the facility is empty and ready for the next person to use. If I see this, I know it’s safe to go in and take care of business.

But on Easter I had quite the dilemma when I went to use the bathroom and encountered the following scene: The door was pulled almost shut, but not completely. The light was on and the fan was on, obscuring any noise from within. I had no idea if was in there or not. I stood there for a while debating what to do. I couldn’t knock on the door because it wasn’t pulled shut, my knocking would push it open and if someone was in there I’d look like some sort of sicko who gets his jollies watching people on the toilet. I didn’t want to ask "Is anyone in there?" because bathroom insider-outsider conversations make me feel awkward.

Finally I decided to go back into the dining area and get a head count of the family so I could see if anybody was missing. It turned out the bathroom was empty the entire time! All this heartache could have been prevented if the person before me had merely turned out the lights and left the door open…