Defeating The Flu Bug

In a multi-story office building, there are obviously many bathrooms. Several weeks ago I found myself in one that I rarely use.

I hadn't been in there more than 10 seconds when the door opened again. A *very* stinky dirty guy walked in.

He had a dingy stained jacket with holes all over it. His jeans looked like they would stand up on their own if he vacated them. He shuffled, rather than walking. His stocking cap looked like it might explode at any moment. He stank of cigarette smoke. His skin color was indeterminate because of all the grime.

He looked like a textbook "creepy homeless guy" off a movie set. If I had asked for an informant to anything, I feel certain he would have spoken up. "I wonder who took the last bagel?..." "*cough*, well, see, I know a guy..."

I tried to do my thing while breathing as little as possible. As bizarre as it sounds, normal bathroom aromas would have been an improvement over this guy.

I also tried to be quick, but he beat me to the sink. He stood there a long time, making me wait. At first I couldn't figure out what was taking so long, but then I noticed that his head was turned a bit sideways. I followed his gaze to the old poster on the wall.

"This flu season, beat the flu bug! Wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds! Don't touch your eyes or your mouth! Sneeze into your elbow!"

This crazy-filthy smelly scary little man was staring at the poster. He never blinked. His lips moved as he read the text. And he meticulously washed his hands for 20 seconds, with soap.

When he finished, he got a paper towel and used it to grab the door handle. He looked like he lived in a trash dumpster, smelled worse than a skunk, and sneezing into his elbow could only improve its condition. But his hands were clean, by golly, and no recently-wiped down bathroom door handle was going to pollute them!

Crazy.