Public Bathrooms

When I was 7 years old I first realized what a public bathroom was actually for. I walked in with my mom, used the facilities (as I had done many other time in the past) and met her out by the sinks to wash my hands. Just then a woman in her 50's, probably just over 4 feet in stature, with a wrinkled little face that showed much older than her actual years, walked in. She had short, short gray hair. Her long pointy nose curled just over her lips, which were firmly pressed together. She looked over at us with her tiny little eyes, shrugged her already elevated shoulders, and walked into the stall. I must have been frozen as she walked by, just taking in her appearance, because as soon as she disappeared behind the doors I saw my mother quickly motioning me to focus on the task at hand. I was just coming out of my mesmerized state before I heard it. The loudest flatulence that I had ever in my life heard.

Ever.

By body must have jumped while my mind made sense of the fact that such a loud sound was coming from such a small lady.
But all I really remember was being horrified and then extremely worried that someone would do something like that in public. Wasn't she embarrassed? Couldn't she save that for when she was home? WHAT WAS SHE DOING?!?
I suppose the natural reaction for a child in a situation like that would be to fall into fits of laughter. But I didn't. I was so completely perplexed by the fact that I had heard something so private from someone else's body that I was paralyzed.
My mother ushered me out the door without a word.
"I can't believe she is using the bathroom for that, Mommy!!!!"
My mom, startled that THIS is what I had taken away from that whole scenario, sat me down and told me what public bathrooms are, why we use them, and how that was perfectly OK.

Two days ago in Barnes&Noble, I had a similar experience and I was immediately brought back to my 7th year and my conversation with my mom. Funny the things you remember.