Urial was totally forgotten. His father and brothers and the occasional guest used the urinal as if that was all he was. Time dragged.
Then they started using him less and less often. He had no idea why. He should have been happy, but instead he felt neglected.
Finally, one morning, Mark appeared carry a small pink cake with a single candle in it. Mark was humming softly the Happy Birthday song. Urial felt the tiles covering his face shift. The gas mask and hoses were exposed. Mark set the cake next to the sink, and removed the rubber hoses. Urial gasped and sputtered.
"Mark, it's already December! You waited until my birthday to release me from-"
"No, Urinal, it's June. You were installed a year ago June, and it's time to replace the rubber hoses."
" Wait! I've been urinal a whole year? Uh, replace the hoses? You're leaving me a urinal? But we're brothers, you can't dad won't let you. "
"Relax, blow out your candle and make a wish!" Mark said holding the lot candle in the cake in front of Urial's face.
Confused. Urial closed his eyes,pursed his lips, and wished with all his might to be human. Then he blew. He opened his eyes. He was still attached to the wall. He looked down at the cake. The candle was on a urinal cake, why hadn't he noticed before. He looked up at beaming Mark.
"I hope you wished for an upgrade, Urinal," he said pulling two steel hoses out of his back pocket. " The rubber hoses only last a year, it these steel ones should be good for at least 5 years. And with all the additions to the house, our new Bed and Breakfast guests will be keeping you busy. "
Mark started to screw a steel hose to the mask.
"We're brothers, why are you doing this to me?" Urial sobbed.
" It's because we are brothers that I'm upgrading you with steel hoses. With rubber ones you're more likely to leak and end up replaced. Then you'd probably end up in a landfill. " Mark started to screw the other end of the steel hose to Urial's nostril. A sudden look of recognition crossed his face. "Oh you think I turned you into a urinal? Nah, the house did that. It's alive, it wants to be loved, and filled with happy people. You weren't happy, and when you broke the urinal that made dad unhappy. So the house got rid of Urial. It created a new urinal. Dad was happy. I guess everyone else forgot about you completely."
Mark attached the other hose to the mask.
"But I'm not happy-ugh,ff-" Urial gagged as the final connection was made. He began to sink back into the wall, and the tiles moved to cover him up.
Mark looked a bit confused. He muttered to himself, "Whoever heard of a happy urinal? Oh, happy birthday, Urinal." He removed the candle and placed the urinal cake in the trough and covered it with the plastic splatter guard that was in hi other back pocket.
then he straightened up the bathroom , and left. Mark had a lot to do before the first guests arrive.