This happened during my first week at college at a pretty swanky East Coast liberal arts haven that caters to pretentious artistes. You may be asking what I was doing there. The answer: I was basically one of them. I was pretty naïve and gullible, and feeling disoriented. I hadn't experienced much of the world nor ever even had a job. My dad was a very hardworking and successful insurance guy in Jersey, so life was a plum.
Arriving at the upscale snooty sub-Ivy League college, I was surrounded by rich kids trying to rebel against the system -- which they were a part of -- by wearing thrift store hand-me-downs and, in the case of the women, not shaving their legs or underarms as a form of Yuppie-in-waiting protest. Believe it or not, one particular hippie gal experimented by eating a bean and carrot diet for two months. She was my first girlfriend.
I lived right next to the men's bathroom/shower. So I was immediately confronted with my worst nightmare: I was a Shameful Pewper. For that matter, I didn't much like draining the gizzard at the urinal because I could never get the flow started if someone came in and unzipped. One time a guy next to me looked over and said, "Fuel line freeze-up?" I was horrified. Also, he was packing a ten-inch dipper, which made my six-incher bashful.
So I started peeing and pooping in the stall areas. There were no doors on the stalls. Hard to believe, considering how expensive the pretentious little dweeb factory was. But at least I could get the flow started. Most of the time I tried to do my business after midnight, when no one was in there.
So there I was during the first week of school, right at the stroke of midnight. I was out of coupons for the eating hall, so I had been scarfing bran flakes and milk from the mini fridge for a couple of days. Sitting on the toilet with my psychology book on my lap, I was pinching a spice-loaf full of bran flakes and Frostie Root Beer (my favorite) when I heard somebody come slamming into the restroom and park their butt in the next stall and call over, "That you, Orph?" My nickname was Orph.
I recognized Wayne's voice and replied, "Having some pain with the bran flakes. You don't carry a spatula with you, do you?" Which got a laugh. But I was stuck -- I couldn't poop with someone in the next stall. So, trying to wipe, I noticed a hard lump sitting in my crack. I got some tissue and reached through my legs and gripped it like a garbanzo bean between my index and thumb and yanked as hard as I could.
The pain must have been as bad as an anorexic goldfish trying to give birth to an electric eel. The shock and nuclear radiation up my butt and legs felt like a 110-volt electric cattle prod being plugged into a 220 and inserted backwards into my ureter. The guy over in the stall jumped off the pot and came around to see if I was all right.
"What happened???"
"I'm not sure. Something was in my crack that I pulled loose."
There was red on the tissue. We realized it was blood.
"I'M -- BLEEDING!"
Wayne began to laugh. "Nothing to get to upset about. Just a hemorrhoid you pulled out."
I had never seen a hemorrhoid and I didn't know I had one. But the pain was getting worse and I began to feel dizzier and dizzier.
"You'll be okay. Sit up straight and try to be calm."
Suddenly, seeing the bowl full of blood, I passed out.
Wayne helped me to lie down on the floor. Several minutes later, I could get up and walk back to my room. Wayne made sure that I was all right and helped me to lie down on the bed.
He told the entire dorm the story that night, and I heard about it the whole year. I won't tell you the new nickname that was bestowed upon me by my dorm mates. What is funny is that Wayne told me later was only kidding about the hemorrhoid. It had not crossed his mind that it REALLY WAS A HEMORRHOID.
Showing up at health center the next day, I got as far as the door, but turned around and walked back out. Too embarrassing. I mean, what was I going to tell those cute nurses? "Yep. I snagged a ‘roid last night in the men's room. Can you examine it under the microscope?"
I couldn't poop for a week unless loaded down with three extra-strength Tylenol. The blood stopped after two-and-a-half days. But if I grope down my crack, I can feel the little bugger.