Home for the Holidays by Hope Callaghan Page A

locker and shower rooms they had back in high school where all the girls showered at the same time.  It wasn’t a pleasant experience when she was in grade school.  She couldn’t imagine showering in a large, open area as an adult!
    Gloria pulled out her handy dandy “Kim” list and searched for locker room instructions.  “The only thing we need to do in here is make sure the dirty towels are in the towel hamper and there are no empty shampoo bottles or trash.”
    Margaret tossed a couple wet towels in the towel hamper while Gloria tiptoed to the showers to make sure the stalls were clean.
    After everything was spic and span, they headed back out into the hall. 
    Gloria faced the men’s restroom.  She took a deep breath and placed both hands on the outer door.  “Ready for this?”
    Margaret drew herself up to her full 4’ 8” frame and squared her shoulders.  “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
    Gloria held the door while Margaret pushed the cart inside.  The men’s restroom was larger than the women’s, probably because there were more men on the police force than women. 
    Margaret eyed the urinals with disgust.  “Ugh.”
    Gloria followed her gaze.  “Don’t worry, Margaret.  I’ll take care of these if you clean the sinks and mirrors.”
    The girls got to work.  Gloria was anxious to finish this task so they could move on to the locker room.  She still wasn’t sure what, if anything, she would find inside but at least this way she could say she left no stone unturned.
    When the girls finished cleaning the bathroom, Gloria pushed the cleaning cart into the men’s locker room and off to the side. 
    The layout was similar to the women’s locker room, except this room was even larger.  There was also a large, metal locker tucked away in the corner. 
    Gloria’s radar went up.  She stepped over to the locker and studied the outside.  The smaller lockers were numbered.  This one was marked “Authorized Personnel Only.” She wondered whom that “authorized personnel” was.
    Gloria rattled the handle.  It was locked. Gloria kicked the bottom with the tip of her tennis shoe. “I wish I knew what was in there.”
    The locker sat atop a wooden pallet.  Under the pallet was open space.  Margaret pointed at the open space.  “Dare ya to stick your hand in there.”
    “Uh-uh.  I doubt it has ever been cleaned.”  Gloria shuddered as she envisioned a furry rodent nibbling on her fingertips.
    Next to the locker was a small handle.  “I wonder what this is for.” Gloria grasped the handle and pushed.  It was some sort of walk-in closet.  She ran her hand along the wall in search of a light switch. 
    There was no switch so she swatted at the ceiling as she blindly searched for a string.  Her hand made contact with a small string.  Gloria tugged on the dangling cord and bright light flooded the space.  It was a supply closet full of clean towels, bars of soap, men’s body wash and shampoo. 
    Gloria lifted towels and peeked behind the tidy rows of sundries. 
    Margaret lifted her gaze.  “The women’s locker room didn’t have this,” she commented. 
    It was true.  There was no extra closet full of goodies. 
    A sudden noise caught Margaret’s attention.  “Did you hear that?” she whispered.
    Gloria nodded.  “Yeah.  Sounds like someone is in the bathroom.”
    “Did you put the ‘closed for cleaning’ sign in front of the door?” Gloria asked.
    Margaret shook her head.  “I didn’t know I was supposed to.”
    The echo of someone whistling filled the locker room.  “Oh no!  Someone is coming!”
    Gloria peeked around the corner of the closet and caught a glimpse of a man, naked as a jaybird and holding a towel.
    She shoved Margaret inside the closet and yanked the door shut.  She held a finger to her lips.
    The whistling continued and even picked up pace.  Through the crack in the door, Gloria watched as the man hung his towel on a hook. He sauntered into a