Toad alarm

She looked at it like someone would look at a toad on their dinner plate, placed there by a husband you have been planning to divorce for years. She was nice, a beauty in her own way, a slight look of someone who has lost touch with her dreams. I asked her if she could fill up the soap. Sure, no problem, she replied. she was French and I don`t speak much French, so we had this conversation in body language, worked just fine. So she ignored that toad like thing and started refilling the soap. I decided not to watch her as I hate being watched myself and disappeared into one of the toilet cabins. In there I was mesmerized by the artwork I noticed on the toilet cover, a contemporary piece, maybe an intricate graffiti. As I left, I felt like I had just spent a few minutes in an art museum, the dynamic creation had an refreshing effect, a cool breeze on an overstimulated brain. She was done. While I enjoyed the cleansing soap on my skin, I watched her out of the corner of my eyes. With two bare fingers and lips curled up in disgust, she finally took that toad like pile of wet tissues out of the sink, then she stood next to me washing her hands as thoroughly as I did. It seemed like a shared moment. When I was ready to leave, I smiled at her and said Merci beaucoup, au revoir. With a surprised smile she replied "au revoir Madame". I hoped that she would not encounter a toad like think anytime soon again.

(I met the lady at the train station in Perpigan. This picture, however, was taken in the toilet at the International Graffiti Festival in Perpignan.)