Furious Rose

Scene from a Walmart bathroom:

Enter a Tall Mommy. Stinky Baby on one hip, gigantic diaper bag and floppy seat hanging off the opposite arm. She looks slightly worried and is obviously in a hurry.

Tall Mommy spots the handicapped stall, one of only 3 total stalls and thinks to herself that most of the time the changing table is in that stall of the public restroom. Tall Mommy makes a very determined b-line to the handicapped stall. Restroom appears to be empty except for a very small woman, about 5 foot nothing, who is a WALMART EMPLOYEE. Small Employee appears to be tidying up the bathroom while talking on her cell phone. She speaks with a squeaky yet loud voice and expresses herself lively in another language to the unknown person on the other end of the phone.

Tall Mommy walks past Small Employee on the way to the stall and as she reaches out for the door, Small Employee, still talking loudly and excitedly into her phone, RUNS past her and ducks into the handicapped stall, slams the door in Tall Mommy's face and turns the lock.

Shocked, Tall and now Fuming Mommy mutters "thanks a lot lady" and wonders what the heck she is supposed to do now. Tall Fuming Mommy looks around and notices a big silver panel sunken into the wall. There is no signage to indicate what the silver panel is, but Tall Fuming Mommy takes a chance at touching something potentially germ-laden to see if it might actually be a changing table. Eureka! Success; Tall Fuming Mommy lays Stinky Baby down and proceeds to change disgusting diaper. Stinky Baby screams at the injustice, and Tall Fuming Mommy gets angrier by the minute as she listens to Small Employee jabber away on her phone in the handicap stall. Tall Fuming Mommy takes special care to notice if Small Employee actually uses the facilities. She does not. Instead, as other female shoppers come and go and have to stand in line to use the 2 remaining stalls, Small Employee camps out in the handicap stall and talks on her cell phone.

After a long diaper change, Tall Furious Mommy lingers in the restroom with the hopes of getting another look at the Small Employee and perhaps acquire her name. Tall Furious Mommy has never tattled on an employee in her life, but after experiencing such blatant disregard for others - especially in an employee/customer relationship, Tall Furious Mommy is using her surging hormones to muster up either a good verbal lashing or at least a visit to the store manager. Tall Furious Mommy also gets increasingly annoyed because while all of this is happening, she realizes that she too needs to use the facilities and there is no way on God's beautiful green earth that she can fit herself, her Clean Baby, the floppy seat and the ginormous diaper bag in a "regular" sized stall. Tall Furious Mommy waits. And waits, and waits. Small Employee chatters and chatters, and laughs and chatters some more.

Defeated, Angry Annoyed Steaming Resentful Mommy takes Increasingly Nervous Baby out of the restroom and sets off to hunt for Spouse and Big Boy. Frazzled Mommy finds the rest of the clan and relays the sordid tale to Spouse. Resentful Mommy remains angry throughout rest of shopping trip, as adrenalin has dumped in her veins and courses throughout her body.

Childish Mommy vows to never go to Walmart again.

Realistic Mommy knows better, but for now she will live in denial.

Until,
D :)