Naked, Pink, Helpless

Short Story.

Thirty.

Hot water flowing onto my head, scalding my scalp as it slides down. The water rushes down my face, covering my ears and my eyes. Every day I blind myself for thirty seconds, an exercise in focus, sharpening my mind for the day ahead. What happens will happen. Sometimes we can't stop it. I blind myself to remind myself.

Ten.

In the shower, we're just like we were when we're born: helpless, naked, and wet. Everyone's the same in the shower, just like when we come into the world.

Five.

My eyes sting from the heat, I can't take it any longer. I pull my head out of the water and gasp for breath, open my eyes and they're weak from the heat. My ears full of water and discarded thoughts. I hear noises outside the shower but they're faint. Probably the neighbors getting home, banging their bags of groceries against the wall as they get back. The world invades us so quickly. I breath in deep and roll my neck, the popping of my neck sounds hollow, like a cabinet closing, wood on wood. Getting older sucks. No negativity, this is my routine. Suddenly my heart spasms, tightening up. I can hardly breathe, but the squeezing of my heart, like a giant hand keeps increasing. Dizzy, I feel myself falling until I land hard against the smooth white tub, my head hits the white tile in the corner of the shower. My eyes start to fail me, no breathing yet, just steamy water flowing down my face. Suddenly the tightness leaves, disappears. Waiting a moment before I stand up to make sure I won’t fall again, a fall in the shower can be nasty. I’ll have to call the doctor.

Water still running I grasp one hand in the other and push them towards the sky and the noises of my back relaxing quickly steps up my spine, stopping halfway between my shoulder blades. My yawn a creaking door, I release my hands and then perform the same ritual with my hands behind my back stretching downwards. Once again the footsteps approach the back of my skull but didn’t make it up my neck.

I sigh, turn off the water still flowing down on me and step out of the shower. Everything is silent. Everything is peaceful. I must have only imagined the neighbors coming home, there's no noise from the other side of the shower wall. Pulling the white towel off of the rack, I work my hair dry with it. The mirror, foggy from my long shower, blurs my image past recognition.

I look down at my naked body, pink from the heat and sigh, there's never enough time to get to the gym. Contemplating the mirror, I clear the steam off my reflection. I smile at myself like an idiot, everything’s alright- until I see the man behind me. He’s blurred, even in the now clear mirror. He takes a step towards me, I think of running but there’s nowhere to go. I look around and spot the toothbrush, but there’s no defense in a toothbrush. I look down at the towel in my hands, maybe I could fight him- the towel is bright red with blood. This is it, I’m through. All I have is a bloody towel.

“Who are you?” In response the man points to the corner of the shower. I follow his hand to the sight of my body, crumpled in the corner, the deep red water slowly sucked into the drain. The man behind me beckoned towards him with his hand, I turn to face him full on to find no one. I slowly turn back to the mirror.

“Are you-” I choke out. He nods.

In the shower we're all helpless.