Clean

Clarissa was kneeling on her knees and holding the bathtub with one hand and a brush with the other hand. She scrubbed the grayish enamel surface frantically. Her knuckles were bruised from the perpetual scrubbing and her wrists were swollen but she would never stop.

A year ago Clarissa was a successful businesswoman, a wife and a mother of a three year old girl, Suzanna. Suzanna was beautiful with rosy cheeks, plump lips and wide azure eyes. Her golden curls fell softly on her snow-white forehead and doughy white shoulders. Her long and thick eyelashes were flapping elegantly with each squint.

Clarissa was in sheer heaven, finding the balance between keeping her business running while taking care of her daughter and being a friend and a lover to her husband, John.

It was the day before Suzanna's third birthday and Suzanna was already big enough to understand and to get excited about the party her parents were throwing for her. Clarissa made use of a couple of quite hours, while Suzanna played in her room with her toys, and took care of some last minute issues for her business. She had no idea Suzanna had decided to take a bath by herself, to get ready for tomorrow and surprise her mother with how big she was.

When Clarissa found out it was already too late. Suzanna's angelic body was floating in the tub, her eyes closed shut and her skin bluish. Clarissa's world had fallen apart. She could not even scream or cry to the sight of her drowned daughter. She just crumpled up and collapsed on the bathroom floor.

On the day of Suzanna's funeral Clarissa started her cleaning expedition. Every morning she woke up and went straight to the bathroom and started scrubbing all day long. The enamel was peeling off and turned gray from the harsh detergents, but Clarissa kept on cleaning, hoping to cleanse her soul.