Restroom

As I was looking for the medicine I wanted, a salesgirl passed by me. She took a few steps before turning and asking - 

- Sir, can I help?

- Yes, thank you. I am looking for Benadryl.

- There it is, to the rightmost in the 3rd row from top. 

Before I could look in that direction, a voice coming from the other side pulled my attention.

- Why everyone is ignoring me! I am diabetic, and I need to go to the restroom. It has already been fifteen minutes. I can't wait any longer. Can I see the manager?

She was about 70 years old, may be more, with some contraption wrapped around her right leg. With that big a body, life must have been too heavy for her to drag. Moreover, she had a cart to push around, carrying around her belongings, perhaps all her belongings in it. In the cold world out, she was homeless. Her dignity was still there on her face, probably misplaced and certainly wounded. It seemed to me that she had seen better days.

- What's the matter with these guys? They come to our country and get everything. And see how they treat an old citizen! We open our doors for them, and they deny us a restroom! 

Since the salesgirl had left muttering something on her phone, she was talking to me now. She needed to be heard; and she needed to hear someone else.

I didn't know what to do. I looked down. 

- I have used this restroom before. I clean it before leaving, sometimes before using. But they make me suffer. They have no mercy, these guys. I wish someone pees in the aisle. Being a female I cannot do that. But I wish someone did. That would serve them well. 

I wanted to help her but I couldn't. After all I was not the manager. Or perhaps I could. I could have requested the salesgirl to help her. Or I could have helped her with few pennies to pay in public toilet. But nothing occurred to me then. I had been surprised by the situation. 

Moreover, I had my own issues to deal with. I had not found the medicine I wanted. It was late and I had to decide between buying a different Benadryl or waiting for the next day. Right at that moment, I was expected to do the right thing by many people, and I was going to disappoint all of them.

- May be our senator should see this. May be he should see how they treat us. May be he should get the immigration rules changed to filter out people like these.

I took whatever Benadryl there was and rushed towards the cash counter. I had a long list but I was not sure I wanted to buy anything from that store. I stood in the queue, waiting for my turn. There were many counters, but I didn't see a single soul.

My turn came, and the automatons did what they had been programmed to do. 

-  What else one can expect from you! The place you come from is well known to torture people. Now you come here to torture us. What else one can expect from you! 

She emptied herself, but left without relief. The door of restroom remained closed. All of us were helpless. None could open it.