Only her mom remained: “Are you okay, Nor?” she called. “It’s really not my fault. I don’t have the machine on or anything.”

“Please close the door, Mom.”

Her mom did.

Getting out, she quickly pulled on her robe. She tried the cold water faucet at the sink. It dribbled for a second, spattered, then nothing.

She went back to her room to dry herself off, bolting her door. Her feet and shins were badly scalded; a couple of burn blisters were forming on her toes. He had saved her. Had she been too harsh and rude? But why would he stare at her like that? Did it really not mean anything to him that she wasn’t a little girl anymore? As she sat there trying to figure out what to feel, she heard that squeaking sound again, and realized it was coming from the basement. Quickly she went back to the bathroom and turned on the cold water faucet. After a second it coughed and vomited a powerful stream of water. She hurried to the stairs that led to the basement. Her dad was coming up.

“What were you doing down there?”

“Checking everything out.”

“Did you turn off the cold water while I was in the shower?”

“What?” He looked at her as if she were crazy. “I was trying to help you. I’ve got to fix that damn door now.” Pushing past her, he walked down the hall to his bedroom.

She returned to the bathroom. Standing on the toilet, she examined the top of the rail that held the shower panels. In it was a screw. It was this that had prevented her from opening the rear shower panel. She went back to her room, her spine and neck tingling with fury. She paced beside her bed, going through all the steps he had taken: fixing the panel so she couldn’t open it, turning up the thermostat on the boiler, finally cutting off the cold water. Surely she was mistaken. Her daddy? Burning her just so he could look at her body? Was it a joke? “But who could see this as a joke?” She startled herself as she became aware that she had said this out loud. She glanced down at her scalded shins and blistered feet. Again she saw his face in the steam, that stupid grin. But hard upon this she remembered his expression when he had walked in on her and her cousin; it had broken her heart. Why hadn’t she called out and tried to defend herself? She was confused, that confusion slowly smothering her fury. He had always loved her, spoiled her. But this, this—he had no right to do this. Her fury returned in full, blazing up, and she could barely catch her breath as all her doubts were burned off, leaving an absolute clarity. This was going to stop right now.