Theres a turd in the Urinal!
I showed up hoping that maybe today would be different. That maybe, with the first shift out of the way, I’d be given something—anything—that felt less degrading.
That hope lasted about five minutes.
The moment I clocked in, I was introduced to Smitty by Samantha, the crew trainer. She was chipper in a way that made me nervous—like she was getting a kick out of what was about to happen.
Smitty is the night manager, which I quickly learned was a polite way of saying maintenance guy who gets stuck with every job nobody else wants to do. He was a lanky 20year old , eyes that looked half-asleep, and a cigarette tucked behind his ear. At first, he seemed okay—friendly, even.
“Alright, kid,” Smitty said. “Lemme show you around properly.”
What followed was another tour, except this time, instead of the basics, Smitty walked me through the hidden horrors of the store.
The fryer grease traps that had to be emptied nightly. The freezer, where everything smelled like frostbitten oil. The back alley, where trash bags leaked unholy liquids onto the pavement.
By the time we finished we got back to Samantha, Samantha asked Smitty on the back and grinned.
‘How was the tour? :) good?
“He’s yours till the end of the day.”
“Perfect! Let’s get you started.”
I should’ve known where this was going. I really should have. Smitty quickly brought be back to the bathroom and handed me gloves and pointed at the bathroom door.
“Nobody cleaned the Bathroom last night so its a bit stinky”
I walked in and the smell hit me bad!
I really dont want to do this. I really wish i was back in College.
I needed the job. I needed the paycheck. So I went in.
Same routine. Gloves on. Mop ready. Deep breath.
It smelled worse today. Like someone had eaten a deep-fried mistake and then regretted it all over the floor. I gritted my teeth and started scrubbing.
Twenty minutes in, Smitty popped his head in. “You done?”
I looked at the tile, still streaked with unidentifiable stains. “Not yet.”
“Good,” he said. “When you’re done, meet me at the dish station.”
I had never washed so many dishes in my life.
The sink was already piled high when I got there—greasy pans, sticky trays, plastic baskets coated in dried ketchup.
Smitty tossed me a scrubber. “Better get goin’.”
I rolled up my sleeves and got to work. Hot water and soap mixed into a filmy gray sludge at the bottom of the sink. Every time I dunked a pan, it splashed back onto me. By the time I was halfway through, I was drenched—shirt clinging to my arms, water pooling in my shoes.
I was scrubbing a particularly stubborn tray when I heard Smitty’s voice behind me.
I turned, pushing wet hair out of my face. “Yeah?”
He folded his arms. “Why is there a turd in the urinal?”
“There’s a turd,” Smitty said, slower this time. “In the urinal. And I don’t recall puttin’ it there.”
I opened my mouth, closed it, then opened it again.
“That’s…not supposed to be there.”
Smitty nodded like I had just cracked some ancient mystery. “Exactly. Now go take care of it.”
I stared at him, half-expecting this to be some kind of hazing ritual. But no. He was serious.
I had thought maybe it was some tiny accident, something that could be flushed or wiped away. But no. This was deliberate. A full, intact, human-sized log. Resting there, in defiance of plumbing and basic decency.
I took a deep breath. “Any chance we can just…flush it?”
Smitty shook his head. “Urinals don’t flush solids.”
I looked at him, praying for some alternative. He handed me a a brown bag and some gloves.
I reached in, trying not to think about the warmth, the weight, the way it shouldn’t feel. I moved fast—grabbing it, tossing it into the toilet, flushing it away like it had never been there.
I felt it. My bare wrist, against the damp, gushy turd
I recoiled so fast I nearly tripped. Behind me, one of the crew members actually gagged.
I didn’t even wait for permission—I ran to the sink, turned the water on full blast, and scrubbed until my skin felt raw. But no matter how hard I scrubbed, I still felt dirty.
Smitty patted my back as I walked out, my sleeves still dripping. “Not bad, newbie. You’ll get used to it.”
I nodded, but I knew the truth.
You don’t get used to this. You just learn to live with it.
The rest of that night i did dishes untill 10pm and then they had me go home.