Well my luck was in I had already lined up a new job to start as soon as I was redundant, which was due in just a few days with a nice severance check of Β£20,000.
It didn't take my wife Sue long to spend it and a new bathroom was already being planned and the work scheduled in.
As the builders moved in we managed to work around them, that was until the second week when the bath was removed to allow for pipe work and tiling. It may of seemed a little naΓ―ve but I thought they would have fixed the shower in before removing the bath, but here we were with no way to bathe and seeking alternatives.
Luckily the solution lived close by and we arranged to drop into my mothers each day and use her shower.
It was Thursday and as I was off work that day so I dropped by a little later than usual. As I rang the doorbell there was no answer and I swore quietly under my breath thinking everyone was out, but my anger turned quickly to relief as my mother opened the door.
She offered me a cup of tea that I declined until after I had taken a shower. I dashed up the stairs and threw my bag on her bed as I passed her room heading for the bathroom.
The feeling of the shower was wonderful after the coldness outside and I rapidly set about washing. When I turned the shower off I realised that I hadn't taken the towel out of my bag and even though there were two hanging up I couldn't bring myself to use them. With the water dripping off me I cautiously opened the bathroom door, the coast was clear and I managed to make it to the bedroom.
As I stood there naked and wet struggling with the zipper on my bag I never heard my mother coming up the stairs.
"Nice view," she said causing me to jump.
I turned around covering my private bits with my hands, "mum do you mind, this is a little embarrassing," I said as my face turned a lovely shade of pink.
"You haven't got anything I haven't seen before," she replied with a laugh.
"Yes but that was when I was a child, I'm now 51 years old, so would you mind letting me finish."
My mother stood still, looking me over as if I was a used car she was inspecting.
My mother was 73 years old and to be honest the years had been good to her, where as my father had aged significantly since his heart attack last year.
"Mum, do you mind," I said indicating with my head for her to leave.