Embarrassing Incident Turns Into Funny Encounter

There are few, very few, situations that are more embarrassing than having your fly break open while attempting to answer nature's multiple calls in a public restroom. Because what usually follows such accidents is you having to spend the rest of the day wondering how obvious it is, who's looking, and, if it's your first time, thinking to yourself "wow, the breeze, it's real!!" - especially if you're stranded like I was. Well that's what was going on in my mind on tuesday, anyway. At the Saab Medical Library at AUB, I was relieving myself in one of the stalls. And then it happened. It happened because I was too stubborn and somehow put too much force and - I'll spare the details, if you don't mind - I ended up hearing the sound. And then I knew... I thought "uh oh!"

And there it was, my fly, in a wreck, strips torn apart, with the slider stuck on one side. Its days were over! I was stranded and couldn't go home to change so I had to find a way to get it fixed. To my relief I remembered a trip I took with G. to some small workshop where she had left a pair of pants for minor repair. Destination known!

Running his small - and I mean small - textile workshop in a small street perpendicular to bliss street is Mr. G. a man in his mid-late 70's. "These zippers, my boy, have to be handled with care!!" he mused, as I told him about my predicament. "I still have some of mine that go back 15 years!! Why? Because I know when to stop pulling!! You can't just force it, my son, if it's stuck you stop pulling!"

I as laughing as he went on his tirade protecting and defending the fragility of these little pieces of clothing miraculousness.

"Come on inside and give me your shorts I'll fix them up for you in no time", he finished, "you can wait behind that curtain in the corner!"

I watched as he replaced my broken fly, like the veteran that he is.

All done, thank you sir, I ended up happily paying US $ 5.00, the price for the Lebanese customers, as he put it. Mr. G. charges foreigners more money (US $ 2.00 more) because as he said, if they're working here they have big juicy salaries...

I wonder if prices change depending on what country you're from... You know, currency rates and all!

With a sigh of relief, I left Mr. G's workshop and went back to my studying.

For your dire emergencies, he is located on one of the streets perpendicular to Bliss street. The one a few meters away from the AUB main gate. His shop is opposite of Moustache, near that Ghali copy center. Don't expect to see a sign or any corporate logos, look inside and you'll know!