THE BEST WASHING POWDER IS LOVE
Author: Emma Urbanová
Gymnázium Jozefa Lettricha, Martin; kategória II. AJ a) VT
Piles of multicoloured clothes were staring at me from my mum’s wardrobe. I carefully took out a white T-shirt of Tommy Hilfiger’s brand. I usually don‘t borrow things to wear from my mum, but I couldn’t resist this T-shirt. It was exactly my style.
´Wow, Mum! I didn’t know that you have such great things!´ I said to myself, as I was putting it on. I knew exactly, how I would look in it. Awesome! I was right, of course. People have complimented me since I walked into school. I was even growing with pride. I’ve been feeling just great in my mum’s T-shirt for the whole day.
After school my friends and I have decided to have some hot chocolate. We have the automatic machine in our school, so we only had to descend the stairs. I felt like a queen with a cup of hot chocolate in my hand. But my pleasure lasted only up to the moment, when a boy bumped into me and the content of my cup splashed onto my T-shirt. He remained quiet with no trace of an apology. The girls were just gazing at the chocolate beauty which decorated my T-shirt. I didn’t know whether to cry or to swear.
´You idiot! ´ I mumbled through my teeth angrily. The tears burnt in my eyes. All my friends came to me and they tried to clean the stain with handkerchiefs which they have spitted on and found hidden deep in their pockets. I quickly ran to the toilets instead, and I tucked myself under the running water.
I didn’t know what my mum’s reaction would be, but I guessed it would be just horrible. Still, it was her T-shirt. But one thing I knew for sure: My mum mustn’t find out anything about the spoiled T- shirt, until the time the stain is gone.
I hid the dirty T-shirt to the bottom of my wardrobe. No one would look for it there. Next day I came to school sick and tired. My friends had known exactly, how I felt. They encircled me and started to give me advice:
´Try out Ariel! That’ll definitely work! ´
´That’s not right, try out Persil! ´
´No, Vanish is the best! ´
´Buy special washing soap! ´ I really did try it, believe me or not.
I have tried everything they advised me. Some of these washing powders were extremely expensive, but none of them washed the stain away. I had given up all hope, that the T-shirt would be as white as before. It was already scruffy from all the washing. So I started looking for advice on the Internet and in the magazines. There wasn’t any kind of washing powder that would escape my attention. I spent all my money with no effect. The stain on the T-shirt was still there. ´OK´, I said to myself, ´I’ll try something else´...
The idea that came across my mind pleased me because it seemed fantastic. I couldn’t understand how I could come up with such a brilliant idea. I will simply buy my mum a new T-shirt. Such a T-shirt can’t be that expensive. Some ten – fifteen euros, I reckoned. I’ll borrow from my friends. I’ll be saving up for one month and then I’ll give the money back.
Everything was planned into the last detail. There was just one small problem. How do I get to the Tommy Hilfiger shop? As far as I know, there isn’t any in Martin. I was thinking feverishly. Fortunately, my mum saved me from these thoughts. ´We’re going to Aupark! ´ she announced. I shouted victoriously:
´Hurray! There is a Tommy Hilfiger shop in Žilina. Definitely. Everything will be perfect,´ I jumped with joy. The last thing was to ask my mum, how much the T-shirt had cost.
´Mum? ´
´Hmmmmmm? ´
´How much was that Tommy Hilfiger T-shirt of yours? ´
´I don’t know, it was about forty euros, rather expensive. ´
´Uf! ´ I wasn’t prepared for such an answer but I still didn’t lose hope although my plan was starting to shake at the foundations and I tried one more question:
´And when did you buy it? ´
´It was a long time ago; your dad bought it for me some twenty years ago. Why are you asking, darling? ’
I wasn’t following her anymore. The world has darkened. The last sparkle of hope for my second plan has definitely been extinguished. In which shop will I get the T-shirt that my mum bought twenty years ago? There was nothing, just to come out with the truth. So I started telling her everything. How I had secretly borrowed her T- shirt, because I wanted to be a star at school, how the boy bumped into me and how I tried to make everything up. Finally I showed her the stained scruffy T-shirt.
My mum was looking at me trying to conceal emotions. Then she gave me a huge warm hug and told me, that even an expensive T-shirt is only a mere material thing. And there are million such things in the world. But love is irreplaceable. It was exactly what I had longed to hear and saying these words my mum washed the stain away. That’s why love is the best washing powder. And I recommend it strongly!