Posted by J on December 19, 1998 at 19:29
In Reply to: Accident at a university exam posted by Annie on December 19, 1998 at 16:35
This reminded me of another story of long ago.
I was basically just a kid (those of you who
would object to kid stories can relax because
the kid is an old man now...) and I had to get
myself into a big city to take an exam to get
a radio license. I was about 14 or 15 at the
time, and it was actually a pretty big deal,
taking busses and subways, and getting to
the federal building at the right time.
The exam was two parts, one a written test and
the other one a morse code test. You had to
pass the written before they would allow the
final part. There were about 25 people there
for the test, all of them were adults. I really
had no idea how it would turn out, but I took
the written and had to wait for them to grade
it. I passed easy, but then I had to wait for
a turn to take the morse code test.
This is really the worst part - waiting for
the test. It went on and on, and by this time
I sort of felt like I should scout out the
bathroom situation, but they were calling names
one by one, and I didn't want to miss my slot.
I didn't really have to pee that much, so I waited
there till my name was called. I went in and
began to take the exam, I was really nervous
by now. I flubbed the beginning, but you only
had to copy a minute solid to pass, and they
sent for 10 or so. It was random groups so
you didn't know if you were doing ok or not.
I kept on till the end, and when I got out
I realized my teeth were floating. THis really
was perhaps the worse I ever had to piss in my
life. I was pretty wrung out from the stress
but did not know where the mens room was, and
to top it off was really hoping I had passed.
So I waited there for the results. And waited.
By now I was cross-eyed I had to piss so much.
Finally they called out my results, I had failed.
At this point I tore off down a corridor and
found the bathroom, boy I sure tore up the bottom
of that urinal. I think the ceramic had chips
in it after that. This was one of those cases
where you get your zipper undone and the stream
is started before its aimed.
I went back to pick up my results in writing -
and guess what - they said PASS. Wow.
I never could understand what happened.
Maybe in my state of panic, I mis-heard the
results. Maybe I mistook someone else's for
mine. I know a couple of folks here mention
that funny things happen when your bladder gets
desperate, the mind kind of quits.
Or maybe it was just a goof - they marked my
papers wrong and I wasn't going to call them
on it.
Now I suspect maybe another idea: the examiner
realized what was happening with me, and decided
to cut me some slack. He passed me on his own
because he suspected I was dying for a piss
during the test, and that wasn't fair. Who knows?