Laundry

I took my laundry out to iron— quite a natural thing to do— it had been crumpled for much too long and I hoped I could make it look like new.

And what do you think they said to me, as though I were doing wrong somehow; “What is the matter? What are you doing? What is the reason? Why do you have to? Why do you iron your laundry now?”

I’ve put my laundry back in a bundle, nothing could make me try any more; but it’s not my fault if they find tomorrow more of a mess than there was before—

And I'll go, right now, to the end of the street and buy myself a brand-new sheet.