Alone in the bathroom, I turned on the water in the shower as hot as it would go, then waited until the mirror steamed up before I stripped out of my dingy clothing and slipped under the spray. Water pelted me, washing away the grime that had built up on my skin in the tunnels. The heat took my breath away, and I turned my face up into the flow, eyes tightly shut, as the water pounded down around me.
In the roar of the shower, I let my tears fall. The water washed them down my face to swirl away into the drain. All the fear and frustration I felt seemed to wash away with them. I scrubbed off my emotions as easily as I scrubbed the dirt from my body. The thick scent of clean soap filled my senses and I rubbed every inch with a rough washcloth, until suds covered me from head to toe. My ang
