The Pink Bathroom by K. Denise Holmberg
In 1994 we moved from Hong Kong to Naperville, IL. We built a custom house for our family of five, three boys, mom and dad. I was showing a girlfriend my new home, and this was our conversation: “It’s pink,” she said. “I know,” I said. “You have boys. Three of them.” “I know.” “What were you thinking?” “I don’t know.” We stood in the doorway of the prettiest pink bathroom you can imagine and took a moment to observe its pinkie-ness: pink tile, pink tub, pink toilet, and two lovely pink sinks. The words of my friend were sobering. What was I thinking? We had boys , no plans for any other children, and a feminine bathroom they scoffed at using. And we designed it that way, picked out every pink piece ourselves ... so we thought. A Short Time Later Not even a full year had gone by as I once again stood in the doorway of that pink bathroom. This time I was watching two little girls brush their teeth. One had thin blond hair, an angelic oval face, and proud