WARBRIDES-L Archives

Archiver > WARBRIDES > 2005-01 > 1106937794


From:
Subject: Bath night on the prairies 1946
Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2005 11:43:14 -0700


Shortly after my arrival at my mother-in-law's house, where we lived for
6 months in one room, my husband said he would go and get a bathtub so
we could have a bath. Well, that gave me a bit of a jolt. How would you
go and get a bathtub? Weren't they upstairs somewhere in a bathroom? I
had not realized that there was no sewer and no plumbing to speak of. I
had been introduced to the outdoor toilet. but didn't dream that bathing
would be a problem also.
He came back into the room carrying a metal tub about 2 ' square. I
immediately knew it would be an impossibility to sit in that. He warmed
the water on the stove, transferred it to the tub, stripped off and sat
down with one leg in and the other outside the wash tub. He scrubbed his
upper body then the leg that was inside the tub. He then put it outside
the tub and the other one inside to wash it. It was quite a procedure.
After drying himself and dressing he carried the tub outside and dumped
the water on the ground. Then it was my turn. I was embarassed.
I had been sitting on the bed watching him with amazement. We had never
seen each other naked, always turning off the lights and undressing
before clambering into bed. Now I was expected to have a bath in front
of him. How different from today where nudity is viewed so differently
and sex is such an unfettered procedure.
Oh yes, and about that sink in his mother's kitchen. I flooded the floor
before finding out that there was only a bucket under it which had to be
taken outside and emptied. :-[
.
We had a War Brides meeting yesterday with 16 out of 26 members present.
During lunch (Crab Melt or Shepherd's Pie, rice pudding or Jello for
dessert) we discussed the phenomena of bathing in those metal tubs.
One'girl' said that they had a long tub so they could stretch their legs
out. I thought of her husband struggling outside to empty that! We
decided she was a very privileged person, a plutocrat no less, and
laughed about it.
We also remembered that the soap fat coagulated on the tubs and in the
dishpans when we did the dishes. It was ugly goop. We loved detergents
when they finally came along.
Sometime, I will tell you about doing the washing.
On a sadder note: many of the elderly War Brides have walkers, canes,
crutches or wheel chairs to get around in. One husband who was there
last month to bring his wife to the meeting wasn't there this month -
another one gone. Yesterday there were only 2 husbands waiting for their
War Bride wives to take them home after the meeting, mine and Irish Mary's.
Someone mentioned that the War Brides have a 'spit in your eye attitude'
. She is darned right - we have earned it.
Hazel in Alberta, Canada.
My writing is copyrighted These are excerpts from my (as yet)
unpublished book, but still my writing. Thanks!




This thread: