The Heavenly Abode

The other day, Manu and I were in downtown San Francisco leisurely strolling towards the Embarcadero BART station. Manu wanted to do the inimitable-- use the LOO! Well, ain't that a little out of the 'established norms'!?!

Anyway, we were in the corner of Spear and Market and as we were just about to access the stairs, we chanced to see a pay'n'use toilet just in front of us. So Manu decided to barge in and complete his course. So, here's a recount of what happened.

ALL EVENTS PORTRAYED HERE TAKES PLACE BETWEEN 2.45 and 2.53PM ON NOVEMBER 12th, 2005.

2.45.00pm-- In front of the pay'n'use toilet ( Pls do read it as tooaalethh-in good ol' snobbish French)

2.45.02PM- Read instructions and discuss the POA

2.45.10PM- Shuffle in the many compartments of the purse to fish out a quarter

2.45.15PM- Success in accomplishing the intended!

2.45.17 PM- Find the slot and hurriedly thrust the change in

2.45.19PM- The quarter comes right out at or about the same speed it went in. Uhnn??

2.45.20PM- Look sheepishly over the instructions again and find an LED saying "The toilet is in the process of self-cleaning. Please wait until it finishes"

2.45.25-2.45.40PM- Manu has Tardive Dyskenesia (an unmistakable shuffle from leg to leg in a Schizophrenic patient. DISCLAIMER- Manu is not suffering from Schizophrenia but his waist down definitely is)

2.45.42PM- We are intently prying at the LED.

2.45.45PM- LED instructs us to insert the change. We do so.

2.45.50PM- The prying shifts to the door now.

2.45.52PM- The door to heaven opens and Manu steps into the labryinth. A toilet is pretty complex place isn't it?

2.45.55Pm- He turns around and gives me an all knowing nod. Door closes.

2.46.00PM- I relax for the first time in 5 minutes and start looking around to take in the sights.

2.47.00PM- I see people passing by and give a polite smile implicitely implying * Hey ! How u doinghhh?* types.

2.48.00Pm- I am bored looking at people. So I decide to find out what the pigeons are doing today. Gaze to the hard cold concrete floor- seems like they are doing good.

2.49.00PM- I look to the Clock Tower on the Ferry building and try to see how beautifully it has been constructed.

2.49.20PM- A guy in a cycle comes by and asks me if I am in line. Ahem...NO !! We look away from each other and slip into our own worlds again.

2.50.20PM- Door opens. Manu resurfaces and the world becomes whole again !

2.51.00PM- The cycle guy directs a thumbs-up at both of us. God knows what that means?

2.51.03PM- Totally startled, Manu almost recoils into the labryinth yet again.

2.52.30PM- We get down to the station and we see our train pulling away from the platform. One minute before and we would have boarded it.

2.53.00PM- Well, who cares? Manu is happy and so am I! If not this train , the next one will be here in sssayyy--7 minutes. Atleast the waiting this time around will not be laced with cycle guys, LED's, pigeons and what nots?!


NOTE: Style of relating and time " loosely based " on the Emmy award winning series 24