Memories

It was when I was in the first grade that I developed my fear of using a public restroom.

I asked my teacher if I could use the bathroom during class. Kindly, she dismissed me.

While I was finishing my business, a scheduled fire drill was launched. It should be known that the fire drills were announced to the teachers, but not to the students. The teacher had known exactly when the drill would sound, and still let this tiny little first grader out to use the restroom without a heads up.

The terrifying buzz made me panic so much that I struggled to pull my jeans up over my waist. Feeling like I had wasted valuable time, I rushed out of the bathroom into an organized chaos of school children being lead outside to their assigned locations.

I could not find my teacher or classmates, until another teacher led me to them.

It was such a horrendous feeling of being lost and confused that I did not use the restrooms in school again for years. I always waited until I got home.

And, I wore skirts to school for the rest of my grade school years, in case I needed to make a fast get away.