A ROOM THAT SWEATS

The humidity has been off the charts the last couple of days, no thanks in part to the leak in our bathroom. For weeks now, hot water trickles out of our bathtub faucet, and a thick, heavy steam clings to every surface of the room. The white paint has started to bubble and separate from the walls. The ceiling weeps like a crying eye. It makes it even worse at night, where you feel its droplets tap at your shoulder or back like an intruder. There is a window, and oftentimes it feels like shadows move across the backyard. The condensation from the temperature difference makes the glass pane so opaque that, if we did have someone peering in, we’d be none the wiser.