I got up the next day, at a little after noon. I sat up as I rubbed my head. My hair was a rats' nest as always. I groaned as I got out of bed. I stumbled towards the bathroom and locked the door behind me. I stripped down and turned the shower on high. Steam danced up to the ceiling of my bathroom. I stepped in and threw the curtain shut. I washed my hair with my lavender scented shampoo and conditioner, and I reached for my loofa and body wash. I poured almost the whole bottle onto my loofa and began to scrub my body, hard. My arms and legs were turning a bright red.
I scrubbed down my sides and my upper back. The hot water began to burn my raw skin. I ignored the pain and scrubbed even harder, feeling the extreme need to be clean. I looked down and saw that I looked like a lobster covered in soap suds. I dropped the loofa and sat down on the porcelain floor of my tub. I sat there with my knees to my chest and started to cry. It was over, I was safe, but why did I feel like I was still in so much more trouble?
I heard someone try the door to my bathroom and then they started to knock on it. "Lindsay? Lindsay, honey, it's Karen. Are you okay?" she called through the door. I turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. I grabbed my long, white, silk robe and tied it around me. I unlocked the door and walked back into my room. I crawled into my bed and threw the covers over me. I didn't feel like talking about anything, especially last night. Karen sighed heavily and sat beside me on my bed.
She touched my arm gently and I looked over at her. Her eyes were sad as she stared at the floor. "Are you feeling alright, Karen?" I asked her softly. She shrugged her shoulders, not wanting to meet my eyes.
"My daughter is downstairs...I thought that maybe you would like to meet her?" I pushed myself up onto my elbows.
"I didn't know you had a daughter." She shrugged her shoulders.
"You never asked." I nodded my head and moved to get up. She stood up. "She's sitting downstairs helping her father clean up the yard. You get dressed and come on down." She stepped out of my room and I dropped my robe to the floor. I didn't feel like wearing anything tight and revealing so I threw on my pajama pants and a oversized sweatshirt. I slipped on my slippers as I walked out of my room.
I walked downstairs and outside. I didn't see Karen, but I did see her husband and a small girl helping him pick up sticks.
