Sedaris is willing to retell the narrative as he felt humiliated and disgusted that he had to take care of someone else’s mess and perhaps wants his audience to sympathize with him. The story is interesting and funny as it is easy to relate to. There are several times when one uses the public toilet only to find that the person who was there before messed the place and there is a queue waiting to follow. Consequently, it leaves the person inside with the responsibility to clean up the mess otherwise people judge.
Sedaris describes events vividly causing the reader to create a mental picture of the events that unfold. For instance he says,” Everyone had taken their places, when I excused myself to visit the bathroom, and there, in the toilet, was the absolute biggest turd I have ever seen in my life - no toilet paper or anything, just this long and coiled specimen, as thick as a burrito.” The author succeeds in painting the picture of the situation in the bathroom by using adjectives such as long and coiled. He also employs the use of similes so that his audience could relate when he says, “as thick as a burrito.”
From the narrative, Sedaris regrets why he told everyone at the table where he was going. He wishes that he had just excused himself that he was going to make a call. Consequently, he would not have to explain why he took long in the bathroom. Also, he wouldn’t feel like it’s his responsibility to clean the mess. The moral of the story is to keep personal businesses private. Had Sedaris just excused himself he would not feel the need to clean someone else’s mess and the people would not wonder why he was away from the table for so long.
