Today I am thinking about: an office worker who heads to the men's room like any other day, but before he gets there one of the managers - an older man - brushes past him with a quick apology. When the worker walks into the bathroom the manager is at the closest urinal, hand braced against the wall while he pisses like a broken fire hydrant. He briefly thinks "wow he needed to go," but then takes care of his own business and washes his hands. It's not until he's pushing the door open that he realizes the manager is still peeing.
How much was he holding? How long was he holding?
The worker can't stop thinking about it. His desk is in view of the manager's office door, it's easy to keep an eye on it and see how often the guy visits the men's room. The answer is: rarely, if ever. Nearly every single day the worker has seen him get up, start walking toward the bathroom, only to be stopped by a worker or another manager who needs him for something. Once, it happened three times in a row. There's been more than one day where the manager doesn't get to visit the bathroom a single time that the worker sees.
One day the worker tries to keep pace with him. He subtly keeps an eye on how much coffee the manager is drinking, how many bottles of water he goes through to keep his throat moist during phone meetings and zoom calls. The morning is all right, lunch is a bit difficult, and by the last hour the worker is so desperate that he has to give up and go piss just so he can actually do his job. As he's on his way back to his desk, extremely relieved, he sees the manager excuse himself from a phone call and practically sprint to the bathroom with his hands already reaching for his belt.
How long can he go on like this, cutting it so close? Surely he knows this is dangerous. Surely one day he won't make it.
A few days later the worker happens to head past the manager's office while his door is open, and he gets a wild idea. He offers to get the manager another coffee on his way back. Seemingly without thinking about it, the manager says sure, thanks.
It's cruel, but the worker can't help it. He has to see what happens.
And so he keeps this up, offering to fetch coffee or water or anything. It doesn't make a huge difference, but he definitely sees the manager slightly more red-faced every time he's interrupted. Someday it will happen. Someday...
The day comes without warning. The worker hasn't even gotten the manager an extra beverage today, they've both been so busy. But he's made a habit of watching the manager every time he gets up, so he still sees it when - only fifteen minutes from the end of their day - the manager leaves his office with a stiff stride and a particularly serious expression.
Before he can make it far another manager stops him, a woman, showing him something on a tablet. They stand there and talk for several minutes and the worker can't hear what it's about, but he sees the manager's brow keep furrowing, sweat shining on his forehead. Sees him start to bend at the waist, move his legs to keep his knees together. Once, he visibly winces and bites his lip.
And then it happens. A dark stain starts spreading at his crotch, streaking down his leg. The manager grabs himself and says something to the woman, an apology or an excuse, and starts walking as quickly as he can down the hallway. The worker can't help but stare as he passes, at the liquid clearly pouring between his fingers as he pisses hard into his suit pants. By the time he gets to the men's room he's peed so much that his pants can't soak it up and he's left a few damp spots on the carpet.
The woman manager looks confused but not shocked, so maybe she somehow didn't notice - too focused on the tablet. It seems like the worker is the only one who knows exactly what just happened.
He's got his phone out and he's already searching for the nearest department store to buy a new pair of pants as he heads for the men's room himself. If he gets on the manager's good side, maybe he won't notice how eager the worker is to help him... Or ask for details... Or get him another drink.
