“All I wanted to do was to take a shower and no one would let me! Every time I went near the bathroom, someone would block the door. I didn’t understand what was going on.” Elizabeth acted indignant, but I knew she really just wanted everyone to listen to her. She was obsessed with being the center of attention.
I watched as she looked around the room to make sure everyone was dialed in on her story. As she started in again, I slowly got up and headed toward the kitchen. I needed at least one more glass of wine if I was going to listen to any of these stories. I had heard this one last night and the night before, but Elizabeth wasn’t going to stop until everyone had heard it. I knew what the story was about and why Scott and Eric had not let her into the bathroom. It was a sensitive topic for the two of them, but I knew the two of them really just didn’t want to get into trouble. As much as Elizabeth touted herself for her liberal ideals, she was very conservative in what she considered to be right and wrong. She had no problems going to the authorities if she thought someone stuck one toe too far out of line.
Scott and Eric both grew their own marijuana, which fortunately they had somehow managed to keep hidden from Elizabeth thus far. I had assumed their plants was what they were hiding in the bathroom, but as the two of them started to act suspicious as the week continued, I began to wonder if there was something else in the bathroom. The longer time went on, the more antsy they got. It got to the point where I started sneaking off to find out what was going on. I spent most of my free time at their house anyway, so me showing up unannounced wasn’t unusual. But they managed to start showing up wherever I was in their house. I used to have free reign on where I went, but the two of them started to check up on me when I wasn’t in their line of sight.
Tonight was a little different in the fact the two of them had been upstairs most of the night, locked away in Scott’s room. Maybe this was my chance to figure out what was in the bathroom they were so desperate to keep Elizabeth out of, especially since they knew she would retell the story as long as people were listening. As I crept up the stairs toward the bathroom, I took a deep breath as if there would magically be a smell that would tip me off in what was going on. The severed hand in the sink told me I didn’t want anything to do with whatever Scott and Eric were up too. I would tell Elizabeth and knew she would call the police because I knew the repercussions of going behind the backs of Scott and Eric. Because I knew exactly whose hand was in the sink and why.
Standing Room Only 