The afternoon sun streamed through the office window, casting long shadows across the desk where I sat, immersed in work. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafted through the air, mingling with the soft hum of the air conditioning.
As I reached for my coffee cup, my eyes fell upon the almost empty bottle of alcohol sitting beside it. With a resigned sigh, I twisted the cap off and poured the last few drops onto my hands, rubbing them together briskly.
Just as I settled back into my work, a sudden urge to pee jolted me from my focus. Pushing back my chair, I navigated my way to the restroom. Two cubicles stood open, but I knew what I was looking for wasn't in that restroom. Determined, I made my way to the restroom on the second floor.
Inside, the stark white walls of the lavatory greeted me, along with the row of unoccupied urinals on the wall. But it was the sound that caught my attentionāthe unmistakable splattering of liquid hitting porcelain, accompanied by a sharp, stinging smell. I smiled to myself, knowing I had found what I was looking for. One cubicle was occupied, and I could hear the consistent spurting sound, accompanied by a low, almost guttural moan.
I fished the empty alcohol bottle out of my pocket and approached the occupied cubicle. "Excuse me," I called out, trying to mask my discomfort with politeness. "Do you mind if I refill my bottle?"
There was a moment of silence, then a familiar gruff voice responded, "Go ahead Mason."
With a deft hand, I refilled my bottle with the alcohol from the restroom, the sound of liquid filling the bottle echoing in the small, tiled space. The smell of alcohol mixed with the sterile scent of the restroom, creating a peculiar, almost intoxicating aroma.
Finally, my bottle was full again, and I made my way back to my desk, the scent of alcohol lingering in the air around me. As I sat down, I couldn't help but smile at the small victory of refilling my bottle amidst the mundane chaos of office life.