Ghosts in the Bathroom

I was five years old when my mom sat my two older brothers and I down on my childhood bed. She fumbled with the words, not knowing how to begin. The telling was hard for her. Her father had died.

Died? What did that even mean? I looked to the other people on the bed for how I should react.

My mother was crying. My oldest brother looked unsurprised at the news, but terribly sad. My other brother was shocked and crying.

I felt like I should ask some questions, because I sure didn't understand what was happening. Yet, this didn't seem like the right time to raise my hand.

After a pause for the information to sink in, my mother continued. “You know, while this means you can't see Granddaddy in person, he'll always be there, watching over you.”

Always?

Puzzled, and still working out what had just happened, I walked out of the room with my brothers. I tried to feel sad like them, but I was too young to understand what it all meant.

I mulled over the words my mother said, but the more I thought about it, the less it made sense. If Granddaddy was watching over me, that meant that somehow, he was here with me. What about my brothers? My mom? My Grand Mother? He couldn't be with all of us all the time, could he? Did this mean we all had to stay in the same place now?

What about the times when I didn't want anyone watching? Would Granddaddy see everything I did now? I would think about this when I lit my doll on fire playing with a lighter, when I snuck out of the house after being grounded, when I got caught hiding others' belongings in my play kitchen. Was Granddaddy watching? I cringed to think he had seen me at my worst.

I thought about it most when we were at Grand Mother's house.

After walking into the bathroom, as I closed the door, I would plead quietly, “Granddaddy, if you're here, please don't watch.”

Just in case.