Back In The Day

As I've likely mentioned before, Shannon is lactose intolerant (which is quite common in those of Native American descent), but this isn't a problem as she doesn't eat dairy anyway. But back in the day, Shannon wasn't a vegan or really aware of her lactose intolerance. 

When we went to France together on a school trip in eighth grade, and most of our meals featured dairy pretty heavily. One day spent toodling around a smaller town in the south of France stands out in particular; lunch was enormous slices of cheesy pizza, dessert was ice cream, and a good part of the afternoon was spent at a chocolate shop. 

The chocolate shop also sold pastries, tea, and coffee, and had a few small tables. A handful of kids with our group had ducked into the shop to get out of the drizzle and warm up with a coffee. We'd been walking around all day, and as a result I'd drunk lots of water and had few bathroom breaks. I really needed to pee.

I got in line for the bathroom, a single unit, behind Shannon and a few of the other girls from our group. Shannon went ahead of me, and, OH MY GOD, READER, I thought my bladder might explode.

I waited outside the door for ages. I knocked a few times and begged Shannon to hurry up, urging her to think of the terrible sepsis that would occur should my bladder indeed burst. She responded that she was "feeling sick." Finally, finally, the door opened and Shannon edged out sheepishly. After I was free from the agitation of an uncomfortably full bladder, I asked Shannon if she was okay. I felt awful for her; how embarrassed she must have been!

Though, in all fairness, I did barf in front of a very nice cathedral later that day.