Miss Manners: Am I the only one who has this kind of restroom encounter?
DEAR MISS MANNERS A car wash I patronize has two single-occupant washrooms one labeled Men the other Ladies Related Articles Miss Manners Is there a way to discourage this man s witticism at my expense Miss Manners My boyfriend berated me in the parking lot over how I exited the church Miss Manners I gave my neighbor treats and got a rude phone call in return Miss Manners She threatened to call the cops on me in church Miss Manners Is there a polite way to satisfy my curiosity about the waitress I had availed myself of the men s room and as I was closing the door someone pushed it open I stepped back and in walked a -something woman She closed the door locked it and smiled at me as she walked by The men s washroom has a toilet and a urinal on one wall with a sink between them The woman stood at the toilet partly facing me displaying cheer then dropped her slacks and underwear giving me a view As she was sitting she recounted me to go about my business Listening to her further stimulated me so I proceeded to use the urinal As I was zipping up she stood partly faced me again giving me another view then pulled up her clothing At the sink she thanked me adding that her need had been pretty urgent I smiled and informed her she was welcome We continued particular small talk and she declared Thanks again as we were walking out This isn t the first time I ve been in this situation I haven t mentioned these occurrences to anyone else nor have they mentioned any similar ones to me From a woman s point of view how should I have reacted GENTLE READER Do Miss Manners a favor Refrain from using the word stimulated when it is not meant sexually And save your adult-film-like descriptions of bathroom interactions for a different sort of column For any gender using the bathroom is an eyes-on-your-own-paper sort of activity Beaming eye contact and small talk should be kept to a minimum and be strictly mundane That is presumably why your friends are not talking about it DEAR MISS MANNERS My friends manage to arrive at largest part places at a specific time doctors offices work meetings etc However two of my friends respond to my invitations by saying that they will be at my place between and To me this means that they disrespect my time and schedule and they are unwilling to make a time commitment to me like they do to others Also what am I supposed to do in that hour twiddle my thumbs From this point forward I will be telling anyone who gives me an arrival window that it doesn t work for me and that I ll need a specific time Anyone else have this experience Related Articles Dear Abby I realized what s triggering my migraines and now I have a new complication Asking Eric I m not allowed to speak the name of my son s ex even to her kids Harriette Cole We re supposed to return to the office and that s a dilemma for me Miss Manners Is there a way to discourage this man s witticism at my expense Dear Abby I was trying to focus on my chores and my wife blew up at me GENTLE READER Why is it that your friends are dictating what time they show up at your house in the first place That is not how hosting works Miss Manners suggests you retrain them by giving a fixed time to show up and not accepting counteroffers No Darlene I announced p m not between and I have to time the souffle There will be an awkward period as they get used to the change and they might be unpleasant when you have to enforce it flat souffle anyone But as with training a dog or a child you will all come out stronger and less resentful for it And with a better souffle Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website www missmanners com to her email gentlereader missmanners com or through postal mail to Miss Manners Andrews McMeel Syndication Walnut St Kansas City MO
