My Mother Suddenly Came Into The Bath And I Pan... ((install)) Jun 2026

"Hey Mom, you gave me a heart attack earlier! Could you please knock before coming into the bathroom from now on? I really value my privacy in there."

Panic, I learned, does not announce itself with a drumroll. It arrived as a hot, prickly wave that started at my collarbone and climbed to my temples. I yanked a washcloth across my chest, which in retrospect covered nothing of consequence, and shrieked something unintelligible—probably a cross between “Mom!” and a startled seagull. She, of course, did not scream. She simply blinked, said, “Oh, you’re in here,” and turned around as slowly as if she were backing out of a royal court. My mother suddenly came into the bath and I pan...