And Yet Its Sides Are Two

Our small group has two leaders, Andy and Hannah, and we meet in their flats on alternative Tuesday nights. Hannah's flat is pleasant and girly. It's a tight space, but very homey and Hannah has many sets of matching tea cups and saucers, which is pretty cool. Andy's flat is a longer walk away, has much more space, but very much a guy's flat. It's always an adventure scrounging up enough mugs for everyone in small group. We'd look under Andy's bed and around tables and desks to gather enough cups to wash, then redistribute around the room. What's interesting, however, is that Hannah's always apologizing for the invisible mess in her room while Andy is always telling us that we're lucky to see his room 'on a good day.' Sometimes, at Andy's flat, you can't use the toilet because they'd run out of toilet paper. In Hannah's flat, you get the luxury of choosing between two toilets. (Note how I'm saying 'toilet' instead of 'bathroom.' I am incredibly British.) Needless to say, I relish in the opportunity to choose between two toilets at Hannah's. Hers are so much cooler than mine.

So during small group this past Tuesday, I politely excused myself to head to the toilets, but Hannah stopped me before I could. She said something really fast about shelves and TP in the shower and not using the smaller toilet and I was incredibly confused. As was Elle, who was also listening in. Hannah had to repeat herself three times, then frustrated, pulled me into the smaller toilet to explain. Apparently, she was not telling us that the TP was in the shelf in the shower, as both Elle and I had heard, but that the door in the small toilet is hard to open and so they had put a 2-P (two pence) coin by the door that makes it easier to unbolt. Hannah then locked the door and showed me how to use the 2-P.

"Ohhhhh! That's what you were talking about! And that's why I always see the coin in here! And I think your flatmate tried to tell me this last time, too. But I never have problem with the door."

Hannah, though excited by all of my discoveries, did not believe that I could unlatch the bolt so easily since her entire flat had trouble with it. So she locked the door again and made me open it. I flicked my index finger and it was done. So she close it again. And again. And again. And watched in jealousy as I unlatched it all those times.

Afterward, when I had kicked Hannah out so I could actually use the toilet, then washed my hands to happy birthday, then returned to the group, Hannah shared her amazement at how effortlessly I could open the door with the rest of the small group. "You mean the smaller toilet," Andy asked. "Yeah, that one." "That's funny. I never have trouble with the door either. What's wrong with it?" Andy said, followed by the entire small group sharing that none of us had ever had trouble with the door.

The scorecard:
Me: 4
Hannah's Entire Flat: -98384
Andy: 1
Tricky Door: 2-P