Attention Shoppers

Yea. Yea. Yea. I know, I was old enough to know better, but the fear I had for my step mother paralyzed my vocal cords. Ok so let's take it back to August 1998, I was 8 years old. The day started off as a regular day of errands and shopping but quickly shaped into a Saturday morning that I would never forget and a secret that I vowed to keep.

On that day I was accompanying my step mother and my step sister during their Saturday morning run around. I was new to their family because my mother just sent me to live with my dad only a few months prior. My step mother was a monster (to nicely put it), she made me feel irrelevant and unwanted.

That dreaded day after running to the bank and dropping off some dry cleaning we made our way to the mall. My father asked my step mother to get me some new pants because I was growing so fast that my ankles said good bye regularly to all my jeans as they unintentionally transformed into long shorts.

We went from store to store and my step mother was only shopping for herself. Feeling forgotten as usual I began to drag along far behind them. As I walked, I felt myself growing weaker. I was thinking my legs were just getting tired from all the walking, but no. I realized I was walking around squeezing my little butt cheeks together. You might see where this is going now, but if not let me continue.

My step mother was not the best cook and coming from living with a world-class chef for a mother, my step mother’s under cooked breakfast sausages were just not cutting it. As I continued to walk my attention was focused on my clenched cheeks and bubbling stomach, I realized I had to poop.

At this point my little 8-year-old mind was going crazy with ideas and scenarios on what I should do to relieve myself. I so badly just wanted to tell my step mother that I had to poop so that she could take me to the bathroom, but since I was so scared of that witch whisperer, I had to come up with a plan B.

I thought of running away and finding a bathroom on my own, but no I was too afraid of getting lost forever or kidnapped. I thought maybe I could hold it until we went home but no the poop was going to come down at any moment. Right when I thought I had gathered enough courage to talk to my step mother she turned around and saw me just standing in the middle of the store. She yelled for me to come over so I could take the clothes she picked out for me to go try them on in the fitting room and just like that, the heavens smiled down on me and gave me the solution that I needed.

I took those clothes as my way out. I knew I only needed one outfit to fit because that all she was going to buy me, but she gave me three to try on. Let's talk about miracles. I rushed in the dressing room, squatted like I was on the side of the road during a road trip stop and pooped into a pair of pants that I was supposed to try on. Then I wiped myself with a shirt. When I was all done, I balled it up put it in a corner and headed out. I ran past the dressing room attendant and gave my step mother the other clothes I had.

As we stood in the checkout line, I remember hearing over the intercom “Attention shoppers, the dressing room is temporarily closed for cleanup”. I felt so low, like a wild animal. I promised myself never to tell a soul. However, I think my step mother knows because the people behind us in line were whispering saying “I think that’s the nasty kid that pooped in the dressing room”.