“she locked the bathroom door”

They were a family that only locked doors when they were out: restaurants, hotels, gas stations. At home, the very idea of closing and locking a door was the antithesis of the home they’d created. The act of closing a door could be acceptable for a phone call or a nap, although even then doors tended to be left open, a quick retreat from one room to another, all that was required. The forethought required to close and lock a door, the meaning of the lock in particular, was not lost on anyone. Who were you keeping out and why, were we not a family? And yet. She locked the bathroom door, and not a quick closing and turning either, this was subtle, surreptitious, the door brought to a close with a slow and deliberate attempt at silence, the handle held at full rotation to keep metallic parts from clanging, the lock turned with bated breath and a prayer that it wouldn’t make an echoing click. Her face burned with the shame of it but she tried to ignore it.

5 Minute Stretch Exercises are a creation of Laura Munson and were learned at Haven Writing Retreats. Write for five minutes, no corrections or stopping.
This prompt was taken from Another Name for Madness by Marion Roach (Smith).