When I was five, I used to take bath every evening with my mother and my little brother. In Japan, it is a common practice for young children to take bath with their parent.
Each evening, I was the first one to wash my body with the help of my mother while my little brother waited for his turn on a small chair on the corner. Our apartment was very old, and as such, it was home not only to us humans but also to a few different kinds of insects and bugs. There was one pill bug that used to live in the bathroom, and it often appeared from the water pipe in the corner. Whenever I saw one, I would shout
“A pill bug goes! Over there!”
and my brother would start panicking, trying to move away from the bug. Then my mother would scold both of us for causing disruption to our main task – taking bath.
Our bathroom was tiny, but it had a bathtub. After the chaotic washing time, the three of us would all settle into the bathtub enjoying a moment of peace in the hot water.
One evening, we were having a relaxing moment in the bathtub as usual when my mother suddenly looked at my brother, who was sitting on her lap, and said
“You’ve just peed, haven’t you?”
I was happily playing with the water, but upon hearing this, I quickly turned to my brother.
“Did you really pee?”
My brother didn’t answer. He was smiling a bit too innocently.
“You peed in the bath!”
I couldn’t believe it. I felt the whole water now contaminated by my brother’s pee. I jumped to my feet.
“I’m out of here!”
I shouted and tried to get out of the bath, but my mother’s hand caught me and pushed me back into the water.
“Warm yourself up properly.”
I was made to immerse myself all the way up to my shoulders. With or without pee in the bath, my mother was determined to complete the task – taking bath – without disruption. I was so upset. I repeated “I can’t believe you peed in the bath!” while my brother smiled and enjoyed the bath time, and when my mother’s permission was finally granted, I jumped out of the bath like a rocket and ran out of the bathroom.