Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Silence Is Golden

I am normally a friendly person. If someone talks to me I respond. There are two places though, that I wish I could be left alone.

One is the office washroom. To me, I approach the washroom just like I approach shopping groceries. It's there for a purpose. Enter, finish your business, leave. There are other places to have a spiritual conversation.

Unfortunately there was someone from our department who was the anti-thesis of this theory. As soon as he sees you in the washroom, you knew five minutes of your life was going to be wasted.

"Mezba, did you download that funny clip I emailed you? It's hilarious eh?"

Buddy I gotta do some downloading here of my own - leave me alone.

"Hey Mezba, have you seen the latest economy projection reports? Strange eh?"

Jeez. Who talks about projection reports when you are waving your hand in front of the hot blower, cursing whoever decided to make the washroom environment friendly by getting rid of paper towels.

He doesn't take the hint. Fortunately he is now haunting the washrooms of another department.

The other place is the sauna.

There I would be, trying in vain to convince myself I really did lose 10 lb over Ramadan, and generally thinking lazy thoughts through the haze of steam, when along will come the most gregarious fat person with a towel loosely wrapped around his body, sit splat down not too far from you and then boom: "hot, eh?"

Buddy, you are in the sauna, what did you expect?

This would be followed by "oh it's so hard to lose weight".

After making sure the comment wasn't directed at me personally I do badly want to tell him about the new South Beach diet. But he has moved on to discussing his pretty young trainer.

I am almost there in beating my last record time spent at the sauna, so I decide to engage in his small talk. But when he starts standing up and starts performing calisthenics in the steam that does it. I head for the shower.

At last, solitude.

Peace.

PS. I know these people are mostly nice people who are very friendly. And I may be considered rude for not wanting to talk back. But at least not in the washroom, yaar.

Tags:

3 comments:

Aisha said...

you go to saunas? I've always thought about it never went.

LOL @ the washroom scene. You know what really irks me in the public bathroom? when people are talking on their cell phones whie they do what they need to do . GROSS. Seriously, what is so important it can't wait five minutes? *shudder* makes me think twice before i borrow someone's phone. and even more so buying refurbished units.

mezba said...

The sauna can be very relaxing after a good work out. Just keep your eyes closed (!) and you will be fine. Lol.

Shabina said...

i've heard a lot about saunas lately, too...but i feel like it's hard enough running with a hijab on, hitting the sauna after would just make me feel really soggy...