Page 5 of Big Balls
I see his fists clench, and I raise a hand to stop whatever he’s about to say.
“Never mind. It’s none of my business. I’ll just pop in there and see what I can do to help.” I give him a quick fingertip wave and a small smile that Ihopeat least somewhat makes up for my awkward fangirling, and then swing open the door.
Even the bathroom is fancy. It’s got glossy tile floors with a little sparkle to them, and all the sinks have big glass bowls. There’s even one of those little places to sit down and touch up your makeup.
Unfortunately, it’s also got doors that extend almost all the way to the floor, so I can’t immediately tell which stalls are open and which one might hold a little girl.
If she’s touchy about loud noises, I don’t want to knock on all the doors. After a little consideration, I decide my best bet is to simply say her name out loud and see if she responds.
“Katy? I’m Zoe, a friend of your dad’s. He asked me to come check on you and make sure you’re okay.”
I hope I’m not in here by myself, talking to a bunch of empty toilets. Or worse, there’s some VIP guest in here who will call security to come get the crazy lady.
But finally, a little voice answers me from the middle of the stalls. “I’m here.”
Phew.“Katy, buddy, do you need some help? Are you okay?”
She makes a little sniffling sound that breaks my heart a little bit. “I don’t want the potty to flush. So I’m just sitting here.”
I make a sympathetic noise. “I know. It’s okay. What about if I flushed the toilet? Would you be okay with that?”
Her little sniffly voice doesn’t answer. “Hey Katy? What do you think?”
“Okay,” she says. “But the door is locked.”
Well, of course it is. And if she gets up to unlock it, the toilet will make that sonic boom flushing noise, and she’ll start crying, and then Big Balls will rush in here and flatten me like a pancake.
“What if I poke my arm over the top? Can I reach the lock?” Probably not, because the doors are giant, but it’s worth a shot.
“No. The door is too tall.”
She’s not wrong, but hearing her confirm it makes my heart sink, because that leaves only one option.
“What if I crawl underneath?” Crawling around on the floor of a public toilet is not on my list of things I ever want to do, but this little girl has apparently been stuck in here for ages. I have to help her.
“I don’t know if you can fit.” I sigh. She’s not wrong about that, either. The gap under the doors looks tiny enough I’d be lucky to get my head and shoulders underneath.
“We’ll figure it out. Can you just tell me which one you’re in?”
“A big one? In the middle?”
Well, that means it’s not one of the end ones. I’ve got that part narrowed down at least.
“Can you reach far enough to kick the door? I don’t really want to wriggle under all the doors if you can help me find you.”
And the third door down wriggles just a little bit. Bingo.
I knock on it gently, just to be safe. “This one?”
“Yeah,” her little tearful voice says. “Thank you.”
“Well, let me see if I can fit under here.” I plop on the ground without giving myself time to get any more grossed out about the floor situation, and then try to wriggle my way underneath the door.
But I’m definitely not going to fit. With my head at this position though, I can see her little sneakers. They’re rainbow colored on the soles, and I’m grateful to have found her.
“Hey, Katydid, I’m definitely not going to fit. But I have an idea.”
She leans over and peers down at me. “Okay.” Then she gives me a tiny wave, her cute little hand making little circles instead of the usual side to side wave that a grown-up does.
