The Pioneering Laundry Woman

I am weak. A pioneer woman I am not. I have the utmost respect for my pioneer ancestors who lived lives of misery trying to make lives and worked their fingers to the bone to keep their families going. But as for me, I am just not like that.
Its been a week and a half since we left home. Everyone was out of clean clothes. Justin needed clean clothes to go to work in, he can't sell anything in dirty clothes and it is dirty out here in the desert. Jack had two pair of shorts and a pair of underwear left. I had no choice but to call it laundry day. I gathered up our dirty clothes into the giant suitcase and sat down with the phone book and called a cab. Unfortunately the cab was NOT in service anymore. Seriously. This town has NO cab..
After learning this news, I threw a small, private tantrum in my hotel room, drew my composure and gathered the 100 pounds of dirty laundry, my five year old son and started down the side walk of an unknown town that has two states in it. I had the directions for the laundry mat, and I had it out for reference. According to oogle it was a two minute drive. "F" you google. My husband is working 15 hours days most night and the last thing I am going to do is make him sit at the laundry mat. I keep walking. A woman about my age in a mini van stops and asks if I need a ride. I say like an idiot, "oh no, Im fine, Thank you soo much.". My pride has over taken my tongue. I want to yell out, throw myself in her lap and cry and tell her I can't do this.. But, I am a big girl. I thank her and tell her I am just going a few more blocks and tell her I am grateful. I love kind hearted people.
I keep going. I forget to mention I have one arm. No, the other is still attached, but I can't lift it more than a few inches, there is a pinched nerve. Its fantastically debilitating. One arm. Thankfully my suitcase has two wheels. Had a been born a midget I would have been perfect for wheeling it, but since I am not and one good arm and the length of a t-rex I didn't have a lot to work with. LOL...
I consider ditching it, and going to the only store in town. K-Mart. It wouldn't fly with anyone in the family. We just aren't a Big K kind of family.
Finally. Unexpectedly A laundry mat pops up, not the one I am looking for, but its there. Hooray. I go in. I have some quarters. I buy some tide and the quarters are looking a little slim. I go to break a 20 for quarters, and it comes back.. There is no attendant, I panic. I have just spent a good 45 minutes of hell and I am about to have a break down. Absolute panic attack. Breathing.. Trying.. Jack is trying to help.. I go up to an older man. Notice I didn't say Gentleman. I am dressed like a 1950's housewife. I have a black dress fitted at the waist, full skirt, cardigan, dress shoes ( flats though ) hair pulled back, 350 handbag and I ask him if he would be able to break a 20 for me. He looks at me up and down and rolls his eyes and says "um, no" Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh OOOOOH kay.. I had just enough to start my three loads by STUFFing them FULL. Jack and I had to run three blocks to a convience store that I am deathly afraid of going to and get it broke so I could buy dryer sheets and pay for the dryer. I was trying to be a good person and not think bad thoughts about that not nice person. I don't know what he had against me. He kept staring at me when we were in there. @@
The bathroom was a pay one. 25 cents. I kid you not. Jack was wiggling around, and fortunately I had gone and gotten more change for quarters. I should have just let him wee out back. We opened the door and were horrified at what we found. For a pay to pee it was the most horrible rest room I have ever seen. The scum and I don't know what was so filthy I told Jack to aim and not touch. I stood by the door for fresh air and had the anti bacterial ready. There wasn't even soap. What a scumbag business.
I read my book "Lit" while Jack played with his leapster and we waited for our clothes to dry. You know how it always takes forever. I wasn't too worried. I was dreading the trek back. I took my time folding and when it was all time to go, I packed it up and we headed back.
At least on the way back there was a sense of how far we had to go and when we could see the familiar signs it was a relief. My hands are sore and callused a little, but hey we have clean clothes for the week, and I did it. Don't know how much longer we will be in this town called Blythe but I know I survived something I didn't think I could do!