“And see where that got you? If you’d spoken to us we could have found a solution to your problem, a better solution than wet pants and trousers. If this is a frequent problem, Ben, then you really should have let us know before you came on this trip. We could have made allowances and arrangements. Instead you try and handle things on your own, and you embarrass yourself. And whilst I don’t like to see that happen, I can’t help but think it’s your own fault. If you’d only said you needed the toilet we could have asked the conductor if he could wait an extra 5 minutes at a station with one, if it had come to it we could even have found you a bottle or something to relieve yourself in.”
Ben nodded, and wished he had known that earlier. Having to pee in a bottle would have been embarrassing, but he could have seen the funny side to it as well, he couldn’t imagine himself ever being able to laugh at this.
“Right, well I don’t want to lecture you. Go and sit back down, and we’ll have another chat when we get back to the youth hostel, okay?”
“Yes miss,” Ben nodded, and made his way back to his seat, his face burning as he felt everyone’s eyes on him, giggling as he passed them in his wet trousers.
When the group arrived back at the Youth Hostel all Ben wanted was to go straight to sleep, and never wake up. Although Mike said Mr Allen had told the group to leave Ben alone, because it could just as easily have been one of them in his situation, he had been continuously teased throughout the remaining hour-and-a-half of the train journey. However, Ben was told to go straight for a shower before reporting to Mr Allen’s room.