While The Cat's Away

I had an incident the other day that upset me for a matter of some minutes. I was doing my laundry, and my system requires that I have all three washers available at the outset, reducing to only two dryers thereafter. There's always a period of some anxiety as I first check the machines and then rush to get my clothes down to the laundry room before anyone can claim one of the machines. It typically works out all right.

I remain a little on edge as I sort out my clothes and direct them into washers. My fear is that someone will come along wanting one of the machines while it is still in my power to be charitable and allow them one. I don't wish to be charitable, you see. My system is fragile, and such compassion is more than it can handle. Typically it doesn't happen that anyone comes along, and then there's generally no issue after that initial phase (so far as I know.)

On this occasion, however, a guy did come and rather noticeably examined one of the machines while making small talk about the shirt I was wearing. It was one of those things where he knew the nature of the thing on my shirt better than I did, and I had to confess my ignorance. The situation was such that I had not the wherewithal to explain my intentions for the third washer, which to all outward appearances was free. I had clothes in one machine and the rest on top of it and on top of the adjacent machine.

After he left, I was torn over what to do. He was surely coming along with his clothes iminently, and I wondered whether I should wait for his return to explain or just to be charitable. Well, I typically shrink from confrontation and usually prefer the easiest path. As they say, it's better to ask forgiveness than permission. In consideration of the fact that I was costing him no more than half an hour with my selfishness, I quickly loaded the machine and beat it. I felt badly, but I got over it. Time will tell if I've made an enemy.