fbhjr: (dumbass)
[personal profile] fbhjr

After getting my hair cut this morning I went over to the comic book store to pick up our comics for the last month or so.
Due to a strong need, I had to ask the young woman behind the counter if I could use the employee bathroom.
She was very nice an agreed, handing me the key. (For some reason it is attached to an old Atari game cartridge.)

I did what I needed to do. As I reached over to flush the toilet, my sunglasses fell off my head into the bowl.
I saw them, a Christmas gift from my wife, sitting there sideways across the drain.
“They won’t fit through the hole,” I thought to myself. “So, they’ll be cleaner if I flush first.”

Apparently the comic book shop has installed a toilet that flushes with the strength of the superheroes whose stories they sell. The current twisted around my glasses, somehow managed to fold them up, and pull them away down the drain.

I tried the plunger. I bent over and looked down the drain. No sign of them at all.

I went back to the register.
“I’m sorry, but I may have just ruined your toilet,” I told the young woman.
I explained.
“Wait here, I’ll call the manager.”
I’ve known the manager, Ken, for more than 30 years. He and my wife were both artists on the comic book the shop used to put out. And, when my wife and I did our own comic book he was the guest artist for several different issues and covers.
“Hi, Ken. I just flushed my sunglasses down your toilet.”
Again, I explained.
“You didn’t try and fish them out first?” he asked.
“No. I thought they’d be cleaner afterwards and didn’t think the current would be strong enough to take them.”
“I had my plumber put in a toilet that could pull down a small child,” Ken told me. “Your sunglasses didn’t stand a chance.”
“What if they get stuck?” the young woman asked.
“The pipes to and from the building are very old,” Ken said. “And there are places there isn’t much space. They could get stuck there and we’d have to call a plumber to get them out.”
“Do you want me to go flush some more and see if things get stuck?” I asked.
“No, Saturday is our busiest day. The problem will take care of itself.”
“I’m really sorry if I’ve damaged your pipes,” I told him.
“Over the years we’ve had a lot of things clog up a lot of pipes here,” he said. “But, you’re the first person who has ever come up front and admitted flushing something. So, I have a lot of respect for that. Don’t worry about it. If something goes wrong, I’ll just have it fixed.”
“If we find them, do you want them back?” the young woman asked.
“This is your busy day, right? Lots of people will use it?”
Ken just shook his head at the thought.
“I don’t think there is any need to return them,” I said.

I paid for my comics, and old Doctor Who tapes, and went home. My wife assures me they weren’t too expensive and she may buy me replacements.
But, I do feel very bad about losing them. And, how it happened.

Date: 2013-01-19 04:39 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ravena-kade.livejournal.com
oops. Sorry about the glasses. Glad the store owner was nice about it. I can imagine days he finds a mess in the rest room.

Date: 2013-01-19 09:15 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] endlessblush.livejournal.com
What a story! and the fact the store owner was so nice about it?

I am bummed for you -I find it so hard to find a pair of sunglasses I like so to lose mine would be devastating - takes me forever to find a new pair.

Date: 2013-01-20 04:19 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fbhjr.livejournal.com
I have been a customer since 1981, so it isn't like I was a stranger who came in and did it.
But, I still feel really bad about it.
But, the manager and owner are both cool people I have considered friends for a very long time. While I hate to cause them problems, I'm glad it was friends who were understanding.

Date: 2013-01-20 10:22 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] endlessblush.livejournal.com
Absolutely ... they sound like good people :)

Date: 2013-01-19 10:02 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] pallid-regina.livejournal.com
Your honesty is really cool.

Date: 2013-01-20 04:20 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fbhjr.livejournal.com
Thank you.

Date: 2013-01-19 11:01 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] sorceress.livejournal.com
What a story! I'm always paranoid about dropping something into toilets... so far, so good!

Date: 2013-01-23 01:45 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] cissa.livejournal.com
Yes, this. I'm glad it turned out OK.

Date: 2013-01-20 02:39 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] palusbuteo.livejournal.com
GACK!! That is my Ultimate Nightmare Scenario #103: Dropping/Flushing something unintended down the toilet.

I would too feel super-awful and more still while having to admit it to the [store]

Glad I added you!

Date: 2013-01-20 03:56 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] idic-writer.livejournal.com
I like honest people--go you.

Re: Glad I added you!

Date: 2013-01-20 04:19 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fbhjr.livejournal.com
Thank you very much.

June 2025

S M T W T F S
123 456 7
89 1011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930     

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Jun. 14th, 2025 12:13 am
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios