AnnMarie Eldon

bedtime

her body was her twin's but there were two
of them so always the argument who went
first

there was no hot tap only
cold so water had to be boiled
in the kettle and poured into the

bowl and there was no special bowl
only one used for washing up
it was enamel and had to be

put on a towel as the table was polished
and there was only one table
and that was in the back

room as there were only two
rooms and the front room
was the best room

and never heated and only used
in the summer or for visitors
so they washed in the

bowl on a towel on the table in the
back room and argued who went
first

and whoever went first had to strip and
both parents watched them
whoever

stripped first had to
wash with the
flannel the

body in a strict order
from the face to the
feet down

with no
soap on the
face as it was bad for the complexion

and there was fairy soap and then
when lux came out it was lux and then
camay but camay came much much later and by then

they had breast buds developing and mounds
but there were still arguments
about who would go

first. Eventually they were allowed to wash
in the scullery with the
bowl in the

sink but by then the
bowl was plastic
and the

pubic hair
showed