This stall is occupied

So I was in the toilet stall closest to the entrance of the public bathroom at work (because that is the least used; I used to also proceed as far back into the stalls as possible until I realised I was doing myself more harm than good), when someone came in and sat in the stall right next to me. The layout was four regular stalls, and one extra-large handicapped stall on the end.

So I'm sitting there, shitius interruptus, wondering how someone can just come in, sit next to you and blap blorp pfffft start going at it so calmly and quickly. I'm the type of person, no matter how badly I have to go, if I see someone else in the public restroom at all then I'll turn around and leave to find another unoccupied bathroom. I know where all the bathrooms in the building are, what their cleaning schedules are, and when they are most utilised.

So I'm sitting there, stuck between a shit and a hard place, half in half out, so to speak, and I decide, I'm going to try to do this. Who cares who is there and not there, and how long they'll be? No one knows I'm in here.

And then another person comes in and in the stall next to that person. Soon the sounds and smells of bathroom essence were floating amicably through the air.

Just about the time that I was ready to just wipe and run, and hopefully just throw my underwear away if they get marked, another person comes in and sits in the far stall (leaving the handicapped stall available). I sometimes have a hard time understanding a panic attack that a claustrophobic person might have. But now I think I can imagine it is similar to the feeling that I experienced in that toilet-phobic experience.

May all your stalls be clean and your public restrooms be empty.