A Sign Of Inconsistency

I am eating at a restaurant with friends and get up to use the loo. It’s locked, so I wait. At roughly the five-minute mark, I consider gently trying the door to let whoever is in there know there’s someone waiting when a waitress walks past.

Waitress: “Oh, our toilets are out of order. Have been for a couple of days.”

Me: *Looking around and just seeing nothing to indicate they’re out of service.* “Oh, sorry; there’s no sign?”

Waitress: “They’re out of order. You should have asked someone.”

Me: “I just assumed there was someone in there.”

Waitress: *With a clear “this person is an idiot” look.* “They’re. Out. Of. Order.”

She walks off before I can ask if there’s another one I can use.

Cut to two days later, I’m at a café with my family and get up to use the toilet. Again, it’s locked, and again, at the five-minute mark, I decide to gently try the handle. Another few minutes pass with me not hearing any movement inside, so I head over to the counter to flag down a member of staff.

Me: “Hi, are your toilets in use at the moment? The ladies’ has been locked for about ten minutes, so I thought I’d check.”

Barista: “The toilet’s locked?”

Me: “Yes, I just wanted to check they were in service since I’d been waiting a while.”

Barista: *Laughing.* “Locked toilet usually means someone’s in there, mate. We’d have put a sign up otherwise.”

I just nod and head back to my seat since they have a view of the toilet doors. At the twenty-minute mark, a woman with a kid and a baby finally comes out. 

I really wouldn’t have thought much of either of these stories, but the fact that they happened within days of each other gave me a bit of a laugh.