My father always insisted I take cold showers, scolding me with, “You smell horrible, go take a cold shower and use this soap.” So I did—five times a day—and it was driving me crazy. Strangely, my mom stayed silent, even though we were usually close.
One day, when my boyfriend came over, I asked nervously, “Do I smell bad?” He laughed, assuming I was joking, and headed to the bathroom. Moments later, he returned, pale, holding the soap I’d been using.
“Who gave you this?! Are you really showering with this?!” His voice shook. My heart froze. “Yeah… why?”
Tears streamed down his face. “They didn’t tell you, did they?! This isn’t soap—it’s industrial-grade pesticide. It’s not meant for humans!”
I stared at him, numb. “What do you mean? Why would my dad give me this?”
He pointed to the fine print on the bar: a pesticide warning. Everything clicked. No wonder I’d been feeling off. Anger, betrayal, confusion—my emotions collided in a dizzying storm.
Sitting on the cold bathtub tiles, I tried to make sense of it all. My boyfriend wrapped his arms around me. “It’s okay,” he whispered. “We’ll figure this out together.”
