The following day began as did all the others. I was awakened by the shrill buzzer of the alarm clock at precisely 5:30 AM. I wearily lowered my feet to the floor and stepped over to the nearby cast iron laundry tub while pulling my nightgown over my head. I turned on the twin water taps and began to scrub my naked body with a wash-rag, being especially careful in cleaning my “personal” parts.
