EMBRACE EMBARRASSMENT Laureen Leiko Scheid First day of kindergarten. My beaming daughter ready for school ponytailed and backpacked crayolas and painter’s smock stainless reusable water bottle a radiant smile and all her baby teeth. A ive-year countdown to this moment. Pride swells as my independent baby girl prances through the brightly adorned hallway of bulletin boards welcoming rainbows sunlowers and apples upper and lower case letters framed in a manuscript road. Smiles and I love yous. Bittersweet emotion. Snapshots and family selies wishing to stretch time. Happiness gurgles to sour stew. Last night’s tortilla chips and abundant pico de gallo churn in my belly like a front load washer. There’s no escape, only unloading. My reprieve; a kindergarten restroom. Two tiny stalls with child-size commodes designed for mini people. 119
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