Truckstop Bathroom Story

Since we averaged 30,000 miles traveling to churches each year, stopping at truck stops was normal.  Except this particular stop would be anything but normal.  Tonia, my oldest daughter, was with us as we were taking her back to college.  It was around noon so the place was busy with a lot of people.  Tonia and Cheri were talking as they walked in.  About halfway through the busy store they spotted an employee and asked where the ladies room was.  The lady pointed to her right, they turned that direction and continued talking.  Cheri got there first, and turned to walk in.  She was paying more attention to talking than looking where she was going.  Just before she stepped into the bathroom, she almost collided with a man coming out.  All my wife could see was shocked blue eyes as they nearly bumped faces.  Tonia, following close behind, saw their startled looks, and then my wife attempting a feeble apology as she quickly back peddled (the men’s and lady’s bathrooms were side by side).  As they raced into the ladies room, Tonia burst out laughing, as did my wife.  They went in and stepped into stalls next to each other and continued laughing.  Now, if you know anything about my family, they can get each other hysterical.  And this was a classic example.  They were laughing hard and loud.  Pretty soon the lady in the stall next to them, even though she had no idea what they were laughing about, started laughing too.  Of course, that made them laugh even harder.  And a lady in another stall started laughing.  Pretty soon a whole bunch of ladies in the rest room were laughing because everybody else was laughing!
Now, I was standing in line at the counter.  The place is packed and noisy.  The counter is at the very front of the store, and the bathrooms are in the far back corner.  All the way in front I could hear loud laughing coming from inside the bathrooms – and everybody, including me, were wondering what in the world was going on in the ladies room!  And then I recognized my wife’s laugh… (It’s actually how I find her in a crowd).  And I thought, oh no, they’re in the middle of this!  Then they both kind of stumbled out of the bathroom laughing so hard they could barely walk.  Everybody was looking at them – except me.  I was trying to ignore them.  I knew everyone was wondering, who on earth do those two belong to?  They came up and bumped into me laughing and they wouldn’t leave me alone even when I said I didn’t know them (I did say that).  All I wanted to do was buy my coffee.
But, for a few moments that day, the Flying J Truck Stop was the happiest place you could be, and most of those people who were laughing didn’t even know why.  You have probably heard that laughing is contagious, and it is.  I know.  That day my wife and daughter were the carriers.