.ross Retro (09.23.08)

.ross Retro will continue to post on Tuesday and it will be a glimpse into something from my past... sometimes more personal than others. It will give you an insight into things that are seared into my memory. This is one of those events!
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Bathroom Babies

Growing up with three sisters, I saw my fair share of quarrels. Many of them were ugly (the quarrels, not the sisters). They were close enough in age that they would fight about almost anything: clothes, boys, hair care products, telephone, and the television to name of a few. But, as I remember, the fiercest battles were fought over the bathroom. Time in that small, four walled sanctuary was coveted as much as the air they breathed. I don’t remember the mirror being all that big, but they managed to fill the entire reflective space with their image.

I remember one particular afternoon when my mom was at work and my two oldest sisters were both in their early teens. There must have been some special event that evening because both of them wanted to take a bath. The conversation started out as usual, both of them making their claim that it was their turn to go first.

I don’t know who initially turned the water on, but before long the bathtub was filling and my sisters were shouting. They each had the special gift of being able to say just the right thing to really upset the other. The very next sound I heard was two doors slamming shut at opposite ends of the hall. They had gotten so mad with one another that they both had retreated to their rooms. There was only one problem… the water was still running.

My mom usually came home from work about 5:00 in the evening and this day was no different. Her ritual was to walk through the front door and hang up her coat and drop her purse. Well, the moment her purse hit the ground she knew something was terribly wrong. By this time there was over an inch of water on the south end of the house.

Each of my sisters had gone to their own rooms. One ended up falling asleep on the bed and the other got lost in a book with her headphones on. Neither of them had remembered the water was running.

All in all the water ran for almost 3 hours that afternoon. The damage was severe. All of the carpet had to be replaced, as well as the floor in the bathroom. My sisters felt terrible. Neither one could remember who actually turned the water on, but it didn’t really matter anyway. The inconvenience of them having to use the “boys bathroom” for several weeks was punishment enough. Actually, we were all punished. And although my sisters still continued to fight over the years, it was never quite as intense.

I don’t they ever forgot the incident of the bathroom babies... I know I haven't.