I was holding on tight but...

I'm going to change the wording just a tad to fit with the story I'm going to tell...

For me, I'm forever holding in tight but...my bladder will inevitably fail me.  I'm going to take you back...before I became a mommy (and the whole birthing process surely ruined my capacity to hold tight) before (I think) I was pregnant...

Mike and I took a trip to Barcelona, Spain.  It's an amazingly beautiful place.  We took a day trip to Figueres and Girona....on a bus...about 2 hours...no bathroom. 

You probably know how this ends. 

I was fine on the way there.  The two places were a lot of fun and very different from Barcelona.  It was a nice way to spend the day. But I made a mistake.  I forgot to go to the bathroom before we got on the bus to go home.  Rookie Error. 

About halfway through, I look at Mike and say, "Honey, I have to go to the bathroom."  As is typical for us, he asked me how bad - I said on a scale from 1 to 10 about a 7.  He went to the front and asked our guide how much longer. Another half hour without traffic. 

I tried to hold it in.  I really really really tried.  I concentrated on anything and everything that I could to keep my mind off my bladder.  I was not successful. 

I told Mike I couldn't hold it in any more. I had some sanitary napkins in my bag and proceeded (on this crowded bus) to shove them in my underwear (hoping that they would soak everything up).  FAIL. I also put our backpack around my bottom, so I wouldn't get it all over the chair. FAIL. I peed all over my shorts, all over my bag, all over the chair. On a crowded bus.  Did I mention it was August? And hot. Yeah. 

I was so embarrassed.  But unfortunately (or fortunately) Mike is used to these kinds of things happening to me. We ran off the bus straight to our hotel so I could change. 

I'm sorry to the person who sat in our seats the next day thinking they were on a lovely day trip.  The smell must have been horrible and it was probably still wet. 

I was holding on tight but....

This post was written as part of Mama Kat's Writers' Workshop