Tales from the Laundry

Elise

"Elise!" Judith cried out, "Give me another quarter!"

Elise sighed and dung into her pocket.

"This is the last one and I mean it," she said.

"Yeah, yeah," replied Judith.

Elise hated running errands but hated running errands with her little sister even more. No matter where they went there always seemed to be a venting machine. Whether it was snacks, toys, or stickers, Judith would demand a quarter so she could get one. She played the capsule machines like gamblers played slots. She wouldn't stop until she got every possible item in there. This often made Elise short on the cash she was supposed to use for the errands.

The wash cycled stop and she added a cup of vinegar. Her mother always added vinegar to the clothes. She claimed it softened the clothes and worked like bleach but without the harsh chemicals. Elise didn't believe it but she had no proof her mother was wrong. Suddenly, her phone rang.

"Hello," she said.

"Are you done with the clothes?" her mom asked on the other line as if on cue.

"Not yet," she replied.

"Well hurry up. Your uncle called and he needs you at the shop," her mom said.

"But you said I didn't have to work in the shop this week!" she protested.

"He just needs you to fill in for the rest of the day. One of his employees had an unexpected emergency," her mom replied.

"Fine," Elise said with a sigh.

"I'll tell you what, since you have to work today, you can have whatever change is left over and you can stay up late. How does that sound?" her mom asked.

"Good. Thanks," she replied.

Elise hung up the phone pondering why she still allowed her mom to give her a curfew. She was going to be nineteen in a few weeks and was attending college. Yet she still lived at home in the same bedroom she had since she was a child. The room adorned decorations from when she was twelve. Posters of boy bands she no longer liked, dolls and stuffed animals on shelves, a furry pink chair and rug caked with glittered, and a child-sized vanity table covered in clothes. She knew it was time to update her décor, but she always got second thoughts when she tried to throw something away. She didn't want to let go out of her childhood, but she knew it was holding her back.

Judith shrieked with horror as her rub on tattoo turned her arm red. An itching sensation followed. She cried for Elise as she tried to scratch it off.

"What is it?" asked Elise.

"My arm!" she yelled, holding it up for Elise to see.

"What happened!?" asked Elise, frustrated.

"The tattoo. It did something to my arm," she replied.

"Wash it off," said Elise.

"Where?" asked Judith.

"Over here," said Elise, grabbing Judith by the hand and leading her to the bathroom.

The bathroom was a single-stall. The toilet was clogged and there was water on the floor. Elise groaned in disgust and turned on the sink. The dryer dinged.

"Fuck," she cursed.

"Swear!" said Judith.

"Just wash your arm while I get the clothes," she said.

Elise raced to the dryer and took the clothes out. She quickly folded them and put them in a basket. She ran back to Judith whose arm was free of the tattoo but still rash red.

"You probably had an allergic reaction," she said.

"Well, how do I get rid of it?" asked Judith.

"It'll go away on its own, but don't scratch it," she replied.

"But it itches so bad," said Judith.

"I know but if you scratch it, it'll make it worse," she said.

Judith dried her arm and they went back to waiting for the clothes. Elise reached into her pocket and pulled out a quarter. She handed to her sister.

"Go get a gum ball," she said.

"I don't want a gum ball," said Judith sadly.

"Why?" she asked.

"I just don't," replied Judith.

Judith sat silently by the window as Elise transferred the last load of clothes to the dryer. She glanced over at her, but Judith was too busy watching people pass by. She look to the machines and noticed a bunch of empty capsules on the floor. Whatever toys had been in them must be in Judith's pockets. She looked to the left and saw a claw machine. There were many stuffed animals inside, but a purple dinosaur caught her eye.

"Hey, Judith," she said.

Judith did not respond.

"Have you played the claw machine?" she asked.

Again, Judith did not respond or remove her eyes from the people.

Elise walked over to the machine. She put a quarter in and it started. She gripped the handle and moved it over to dinosaur. She grabbed it and slowly dragged it to the chute, biting her bottom lip the whole time. As the dinosaur fell into the hole, she let out a squeal of delight. She stuck her hand up the chute to grab it.

Soon the dryer stopped. As she folded the clothes, Judith noticed the dinosaur tucked under her arm. She touched the leg and Elise tightened up her arm. It continued to tightened as she yanked the leg.

"Let it go!" she screamed.

"No!" shouted Elise.

"It's not yours!" proclaimed Judith.

"Yes it is! I won it," said Elise.

"You won it for me," said Judith.

"No, I didn't," replied Elise.

"Yes, you did. You asked me if I played the claw machine and I said no. So you went and won a prize for me," she said.

"You didn't say no. You didn't say anything. I won this for myself," said Elise.

"Well I must've said no inside my head," she said.

"Too bad. You're not getting it," said Elise.

Elise put the dinosaur inside the clothes basket and put the lid on.

"You know what," said Judith, crossing her arms. "You're nothing but a big kid who steals toys from real children."

There was a pang in Elise's chest. Having her little sister call out her immaturity hurt more than she imagined. For a second, she thought about giving the dinosaur to Judith but decided against it.

"You're right I am a big kid," said Elise. "Not only do I steal toys but I run errands, work, and attend college too. Weird kid I am, huh?"

Judith uncrossed her arms and an expression appeared on her face that can only be described as "looking stupid."