Lucy does the laundry – Susan

We are told the clinic will do our laundry if we want.  Turns out the cleaning ladies do the laundry outside our room in a corner on the roof in bucket and put it on the line to dry.  Upon seeing the bucket, I thought better of it.  There are also two small Indian washing machines in each of the two building, but both were broken when we arrived.  Alan took our dirty clothes over the business center, where they were cleaned and PRESSED.  I thought this is ideal until the second load came back.  One of my T-shirts smelled so badly, although it was beautifully pressed.  I think it was washed in smelly water and Alan thinks it was an old fashioned coal iron. No matter what it is, I can’t wear it without gagging.

Yesterday, I was feeling so energetic after my treatments and heard that the washing machines had been fixed; I thought I would give it a try.  Now mind you this is a work-out because we are on the 4^th floor and the working machine is on the third floor of the other building.  I figure it is good for me and I will have clean clothes at the end of the process.

It really was an I LOVE LUCY experiment on the first load.  I came back in the allotted hour to find the machine just finishing the cycle, overflowing with suds because I have evidently put in too much laundry powder.  Then I try to open it, without reading the last direction that says, “Wait until machine unlocks once the cycle completes”.  I rip off the hand-made string used to open the tricky door.  Down the three flights I go, to get help at the office for the mess I have made!  Prasad fixes the handle and we start the cycle again to get rid of the overabundance of Tide.  Well, the clothes are clean but you know what it is like when you use too much soap.  Not so wonderful!

So today, I start anew with energy for more clean clothes!  This time Ganga, the female doctor shows me how to use the machine in my building on the second floor.  The instructions include turning on the water and the electricity before getting to the machine.   She notes I should get right to it, as the electricity will be going off at noon in about 40 minutes, as it always does for about an hour or two!

I get right to it.  I put the whites in the machine as Ganga has instructed me and run over the other building with a load of towels.  I go off to lunch, quite proud of myself.  The electricity is off about noon, but I figure I will check on things when it comes back on.

I return to find the load of whites done so well, they are practically dry.  It doesn’t occur to me anything is wrong.  I take them upstairs to the roof and ever so carefully hang them on the line.   I see there are spots on Alan’s white things; I just assume the machines are not as efficient as ours.  Alan is so careful when he hangs things up; I am trying to meet his standards.  I run back down to the second floor and put another load in the machine.  At the allocated time, I ask Alan to go pick them up and he returns with dry things as well, saying the machine is not working!  Ah, that explains the dry white things with spots!  I can’t stop laughing.  Alan takes the whites over the third floor across the street and does the load, thank God!

Ganga later explains to me I have mixed up turning on the water and no water has come into the machine.  Well, I am done with laundry for today.  Maybe tomorrow I have energy for it again.

We decide it’s a good thing I have skills that keep me from having to be a laundress!  I still can’t stop laughing with tears as I type this post!