a long time ago, before ashely met lily and was still convinced she was straight (ha!), she was on a date with a man she had met in one of her classes.
she really wanted this date to go well. he was an attractive guy, but he was also really smart and funny... and she was just desperate for love. so, she had her best outfit on as they ate at one of the fancier restaurants in their small college town.
things were going great!! they were talking, laughing, and ashley was sure this could actually go somewhere for once. that is, until her stomach started gurgling, and even louder than usual. there was no questioning what that meant.
she quickly left her seat, hastily explaining that she needed to use the restroom, and practically barreled down the door trying to get to a stall. as soon as the stall was locked behind her, she let loose with the belches she had been holding back throughout the entire date. and boy were they monstrous. they echoed throughout the tiny restroom, bouncing off the walls to the point where it sounded like a pack of lions had joined them in the room. the unlucky woman who was in the stall next to her gripped the walls in a desperate attempt to keep her balance as the hellish sound bombarded her on all fronts.
but with burps like that, there was no way to contain it in just the bathroom. oh no. practically the entire restaurant could hear belch after belch ringing out from the closed door of the restroom. at one point one of the employees walked over to check on what was happening, but they chickened out at the last minute.
when ashley finally got everything out of her system, she quickly checked herself in the mirror before walking out of the restroom with a smile, acting as if nothing had happened.
only to find that her date had fled, leaving her alone in the restaurant where practically all the patrons were staring at her.
it's something that still haunts ashley to this day... but not as much as the lady in the stall next to her.