Karaoke Bathroom (5/10/2005)

I rushed into the karaoke bathroom, leaving the girl I met the night before in the booth (in Japan, rather than perform in front of strangers at a bar, people rent tiny booths and sing surrounded only by people they know). Being a restroom that all men on that floor share, I wasn't surprised to see one guy occupying one of two urinals, so I took the one closest to the door after stumbling up the step right next to it. To the guy pissing next to me (slightly younger-looking than me), I probably just looked like some drunk foreigner in a hurry, and I was--in a hurry, that is. I mean, when you rent one of these booths for two, the action stops when one person leaves for the toilet, and I could just imagine that she might be eyeing the Wham! section and possibly considering Careless Whisper for her next song, and I had to get back quickly to stop her. So, whizzing, I mumble to myself, "musn't KEEP the ladies waiting," confident that the dude next to me, even if he KNEW English, wouldn't be able to catch a phrase starting with "mustn't", so I slow it down--repeat it (without flipping or reversing it). "MUSTn't KEEP the LADIES WAITING!!" And I'm really in a hurry to finish up so I can wash hands and leave, and by now I'm nearly on autopilot, "MUSTN'T KEEP the LADIES WAITING!! MUSN'T...KEEP THE LADIES...WAITING!!" And I probably threw in a "ya HEARD?" because this guy doesn't know what I'm saying nor the fact that a white guy like me shouldn't use Black-American phrases like "ya heard" because they make me sound affected. But, like I said, I only had one thing on my mind: stop George Michael, or well, Spandau Ballet, or Mr. Big if that's what she'd had in mind.