She whispered...

“Please Help Me!”

She whispered, “please help me!” from the other side of the door and I was intrigued.

It was a new venue but actually it was a very old venue; one that had new owners, new spirit and a welcoming atmosphere which made you happy just to walk through the doors.

That is where I was on that Wednesday night, the first time my son played at this New/Old place. At that point they had a very limited menu, but there was plenty for us to choose from and we ate well.

The show began and I spoke to some friends who had come out to see us. There was a couple I had known for years sitting with me and we talked a little and listen a lot to the music. A couple of hours passed and I consumed three large glasses of water. Since my bladder is nearly 70 years old, it began letting me know how badly I was treating it. So I stood up and told my friends I would be right back.

Now the way the restrooms are set up here is a bit different from the normal bar and grill. The sign above the original door says RESTROOMS. As you enter the Men’s room is immediately on the right and a brief hallway takes you to the Ladies room.  That door takes you to a sort of holding room where you stand waiting for the actual bathroom to become free. I stood there standing on one foot, then the other and trying to think of things to occupy my mind and to stave off the possibility of wetting my pants (I was not about to let that happen).

As I waited in deep thought and with much tension, I realized I could hear something. It was a lady’s voice calling out in a whisper. I moved closer to the latched door to the bathroom and heard, “Please help me!”

Now a multitude of things were going through my mind at 100 miles per hour and I suddenly had an out of control imagination as I answered, “Sure, what do you need?”

She said, “I am locked in here!” I immediately thought there must be some defect in the lock.  I asked her what kind of lock was on the inside where she was; she replied “A normal lock!” Then I asked “Is it some sort of latch or sliding lock?” She said, “It is just a normal lock!” Then I said, “Did you slide something or hook something?”

She said, “ I am pretty sure I slid a thingy over and pulled it down.” I said “Grab the thingy and pull it up, then slide it the opposite direction  from how you slid to lock it. I heard a click and sliding sound, then “Oh thank GOD!” Seconds later she walked out with a very tense and frustrated, yet slightly relieved face. She said, “I am going to report this problem to whoever is the manager here, that is dangerous to get locked into a bathroom!”

I could not wait around to converse further with her, I just smiled and got into that bathroom as fast as I could to avert my own disaster.

When I got ready to exit the bathroom, unlocking was no problem. I have thought about this woman several times since and my concern is how she functions in this world. Her reasoning ability was quite impaired, yet she is still going through her life just like me. I wonder how she deals with REAL problems and how she keeps herself alive in this complicated, wacky world.