Soap In Your Eyes

“I am about eleven in this picture. I had just finished washing my mother’s car and was walking back to the house to go inside to pour out the water. On my way inside, I tripped and the soapy water sloshed up and into my face. For some reason, this was a catastrophe. I was also, for some reason, convinced that if I opened my eyes, the soap would get into them and blind me. I distinctly recall arguing with my father (who always had his camera at hand and saw this as a golden moment to capture) that I would, indeed, lose my eyesight, even though he kept saying I wouldn’t. At this point, I was crushed that nobody would believe me, nobody had the heart to comfort me, and nobody had the care to hand me a towel (I think I ended up using the sleeve of my sweater).

I’d like to say that’s just soapy water dripping off my chin, but with the amount of blubbering going on, it’s quite likely it’s a mixture of both soapy water and drool. And yes, if you’re wondering, this moment still comes up in conversations with my father. (My mother says there are too many similar ones for her to recall.)”

(submitted by Heather)