Geweldig
I was travelling in Mexico with my then wife. Like many young hands,
we were in a VW van equipped with a potty to provide for our fussy
American preference for sanitation and privacy.
My wife and I had been quibbling all day, due to the stifling heat and
humidity of the sea level jungle in which we had been camping.
We took the road toward Mexico City, hoping that higher elevation would
gain us some relief from the tropical heat.
On a switchback road several thousand feet above sea level,
my dear wife announced the need to use the convenience,
and lurched toward the rear of the van. I suggested that she wait until I
could pull over, but she was resolute in her determination to attend to
matters promptly.
From the back, I heard her irritable voice say, "Why's this sodding potty
rocking?" I pondered, and realized that the potty was under pressure!
It had been last used at sea level, and we had gained significant elevation.
The bottom of the potty was bowed with pressure, causing the rocking.
And, to my good wife's impending grief and mortification, the potty was
nearly full.
A beat too late, I called back, "Honey don't flush..."
I was interrupted by a mighty "WHOOSH" and a slurpy noise.
Then silence. Then a horrible stench, and the unhappy sounds of my dear
bride cursing like a Liverpool longshoreman. In the rear view mirror,
I saw that the interior of the van was dripping with brown fluid.
Since she had to face the potty to flush it, and since she hadn't put the lid
down, my hapless wife had taken the full blast from the pressurized
holding tank. She looked like Al Jolson in blackface.
Convulsed with laughter which was the proximate cause of our subsequent
marital decline, I pulled over. My soon-to-be-ex lady marched down the
highway cursing and dripping. When I recovered my composure,
I cleaned the van and picked up my luckless hitch-hiking wife.
Our conversation was limited over the next few days, and never regained
it's former gaiety and charm.
Soon after this trip we devorced.
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