The Beautiful Katastrophe

(XXI) Toxic

     I don't remember screaming. I just remember spinning quickly to shield my face. Then my cotton socks lost traction in the porcelain bathtub and I slipped.

I grabbed the shower liner but it came down with me.

The blow to my head from the ledge of the tub was deafening. The last thing I remember seeing was Prince climb through the window. Then I lost consciousness.

I couldn't have been out that long. When I opened my eyes, Prince was kneeling over me, with a small towel in his hand.

"Be still," he said. And he slowly lifted my head to place the towel behind me.

And I was witnessing something I thought I'd never see. There were real tears coming from his eyes. That's when I knew something was terribly wrong. It takes a lot for him to lose it like that. "Am I bleeding?" I asked.

"Please, don't move," he said, stepping out of the tub. "Don't move." Then I heard him run away.

I felt a sting on my shoulder and I slightly peeked over to see blood trickling down my arm.

Prince came running in and stepped back into the tub with me. He started removing my clothes. First my socks, then pants and instead of lifting the shirt over my head, he ripped it in half.

"What are you doing?" I asked as he jumped out.

Then cool water was spraying all over me. I cringed and he turned it off after five seconds.

"Baby, I'm so sorry," he said with a distant voice behind me.

He ran out of the room again.

A cold breeze was flowing through the window and my entire body was shaking. I was in a wet tub full of broken glass, naked, under an opened window, on a Minnesota November night.

I'm positive he didn't leave me there to die. He was just freaked out. And I can't recall how long I was there but everything just seemed to be going in slow motion.

After a moment, I was lifted out of the tub and carried to the living room.