The Darndest Things

The laundromat I use is run by a Japanese family, who also seem to run the restaurant two doors down. I see them going back and forth between the two entrances. Today the mother and daughter were in the laundromat. The little girl was doing math problems in a workbook while her mom watched trashy TV. When I went to get my laundry out of the dryer, the little girl was watching me. I smiled, which turned out to be the authorization she'd been waiting for, because she suddenly burst out.

"Do you wanna see a trick!?"

"Sure," I replied.

"I can sit on that without even falling!" she said, pointing toward a row of single load washers.

"Wow!" I tried to sound amazed, but I had no idea what she was pointing at.

She climbed across the row of washing machines and set herself up squatting in the top of one, and smiled with her teeth clenched and her eyes scrunched; I almost expected her to say 'cheeeeese!' But she didn't say cheese. Instead, she said:

"This is my toilet!"

"I hope not!" I replied, and we both continued laughing as her mother grabbed her out of the washer and scolded her in Japanese.