For illustrative purposes only
That morning had already been awful.
Maisie had cried most of the night. I had formula stains on my shirt, spit-up in my hair, and maybe three broken hours of sleep total.
Meanwhile, Gerald had spent half the night in his office wearing headphones while I handled everything alone.
By midmorning, I felt disgusting enough to cry.
I fed Maisie, changed her diaper, laid her down half asleep, and slipped into the bathroom as quickly as I could.
The timer was already waiting for me.
I scrubbed shampoo into my scalp desperately while Maisie started fussing outside.
Then she began crying harder.
“Jennie!” Gerald called.
“I’m almost done!”
“The timer says otherwise.”
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The water shut off instantly.
For one horrible second, standing there covered in soap, my first thought was:
I should apologize.
That’s how warped everything had become.
But when I pushed open the bathroom door wrapped in my robe, it wasn’t Gerald standing outside.
It was Robert, my father-in-law.
He held the second timer in his hand.
Gerald stood several feet away looking pale.
Robert handed me a towel quietly, then turned toward his son.
“Explain this.”
Gerald laughed nervously.
“Dad, it’s not what it looks like—”
