native New Yorker & senior executive assistant, she/her

"When my husband and I began dating, we would go into the city often. We always made sure to go to dinner and movies or straight home because if we had to go to the bathroom, there wasn’t anywhere to go. But I always had a story - “I’m pregnant”. Sometimes it worked, sometimes they didn’t care.

One time, we went out with both of our parents for Mother’s Day. My mom had to go so bad and she was afraid she would have an accident. We stopped at a fancy hotel (can’t remember the name). I went in with her. I tried to walk straight to where the bathroom might be and the security guard stopped us. He said we couldn’t go unless we were staying there.

We left and my mom asked my husband to stop near Central Park. My mom walked into the park, behind the wall, squatted and peed. She was so embarrassed to have done that but she was not going to have an accident on herself. I felt so bad for her. I went and did the same just so she would think I had to go badly too. I never want anyone to have to do that, ever.

My mom has passed, but that memory is embedded in my brain. I’m passed birthing age and I still worry when we go to the city for shows or dinner."