I had trouble with it!

I had trouble with it!

This is a robe for my sofa in my living room. It is a thick, white cover wrapped around my sofa. In the thick white robe, the sofa looked elegant and lovely.

I bought the sofa from Ikea, because it looked nice in its white robe. It was in western, swedish style, reminding people of snowy winter, warm cotton, or fleecy wool.

For a year, I reclined on the sofa and the white robe soon turned dusty. Dad took it to a laundry and washed it clean.

"Can't we wash it clean by ourselves?" I inquired.

"Not likely. The cover is big and heavy. And our washing machine cannot operate smoothly."

Time passed. 

Dad visited my apartment on New Year's Eve. And he reminded me to send the sofa cover to the laundry.

I grew fretted. This large mess! It costs money!

Dad bargained with the woman in the laundry and it cost about 50 yuan. She washed it along with my downcoats.

This year, it seemed that the white robe got dusty quickly, because I did not sweep or mop the floor quite often. In summer, I often reclined on the sofa, but the skins on my legs itched. 

It requires washing again and again! But I do not have much money! Even if I have money, I do not want to spend a penny on it!

I tried to wash it by myself. I thrust it into the tube of the washing machine, but the tube was full, and I knew the tube would not turn even if I turned on the electricity. The heavy mass would destroy the machine.

I took it out and thrust it in a large basin.

But the basin was too small for it.

I used two basins. Then I turned on the faucet. Water streamed onto the thick cloth. I applied washing powder on the thick woven cloth.

A large mass! It would take me plenty of time to wash it! I did not want to spend time on it!

I paused. I stopped washing it. I read books in the morning.

In the afternoon, I rinsed it with flowing water, feeling annoyed. I was hesitating.

I did not want to spend my precious time on this. It had to be brushed with a brittle brush. The material was tough. If I throw it away, I would save both time and money. But the cover was sewed in a complex way. And it was not easy to reproduce another thick cover.

I thought it over and over again. Yet I could not make a decision. I was annoyed. I cried aloud in anguish. It felt like someone hesitating to preserve the chicken bone or to throw it away. 

At last, I decided to keep it there. I wanted to rinse the laundry powder off the cloth, but it would consume too much water. I did not want to waste water. So I did not rinse the sofa cover thoroughly. I spread it on the balcony, expecting the strong sunrays to dry it up in an afternoon.

At the peak of summer, we have the strongest sunrays. And the raidiant sunrays would soon dry it up.

I went to sleep.

The next day the moist sofa cover remained moist. And there was some water underneath it.

The air was moist in mid summer. It was not likely to dry up instantly. 

Somewhat disappointed, I turned the cloth over. It was wet.

I observed the cover closely. It was very thick. Water was contained in the layers between the cloth.

On the third day, the cover was not sunned dry. It turned smelly.

My anger was escalating.

But I still wanted to keep it...It was a nice thing I have bought with money...Without it, my sofa would feel lonely...

But I did not want to spend my precious time even for hesitating...Each minute I hesitated, I was wasting time...

I was crazy, my brain reeled.

Could I ever clip it open with scissors? 

No. That would be ugly. I cannot sew two split parts together. It would take time. I have no time to deal with the trivial chores.

I took out large scissors but I did not clip it.

If I clip it, ugly openings would expose at the back of the sofa, although it might be easier to wash it. If I clip it open, I would have destroyed it. 

Impatiently, I put the big scissors back to the cabinet.

The room smelled strange with the cover on the balcony. 

I rushed to the cloth, thrust it in a big bag, and rushed downstairs. I put the bag down on the first floor.

I thought, if I throw it away, I would not have to worry about it in the future. I would save time, money and water. A deal.

I lifted the heavy bag and opened the gate of the unit. 

I closed my eyes and threw it quickly to a large garbage bin. I put it in the garbage bin in an instant, my heart aching. I have discarded a precious object, a valuabe object. And I did not want the women around to see it or take it away.

Holding the bag home, I climbed upstairs, my mind filled with anguish. The sofa cover has accompanied me for several years.

I viewed my sofa in the corner of my living room. Now it was simple and clean, without the robe. 

For a whole afternoon, I glimpsed at the sofa for several times. Now it looked ugly, in gray. It seemed as if it was stood there lean and naked, without wearing clothes. 

I recalled to my mind the sofa when it has just reached my room. It looked elegant, plump and lovely in its white robe.

Without the white robe, it is not a complete sofa. The white robe is an integral part of the sofa. The thickness of the sofa has exceeded my estimation. I felt I have lost a whole sofa.

I was regretful. I experienced resentful feelings. What if the white robe is still kept here? I felt as if I had lost a friend who has communicated with me in silence for years.

Anyhow, I have thrown it away, and I would not have to worry about my time cost on the hateful sofa cover.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, I picked some paper and I wanted to throw the paper away. I opened the garbage bin and the paper fell in. 

Another garbage bin stood beside me. I knew it was the place where I discarded the sofa cover in the early morning.

I could not help to open the garbage bin again. I was delighted to find that the sofa cover was still there, and for a whole day, only one person has thrown a pair of shoes and some scrapes of mud into the garbage bin.

It sounded disgusting, but I picked my sofa cover out of the garbage bin and carried it upstairs in my plastic bag.

I treated the sofa cover like a patient. I lifted the heavy mass to the laundry. I saw the woman and I reminded that she had washed the sofa cover last year.

The woman remembered. She stretched out her hand to check it.

"Do not touch it." I reminded her. "It has been in the garbage bin for a whole day."

The woman frowned.

"I cannot wash it if it has been in the garbage bin for a whole day. I am not sure whether I can wash it clean, besides, it would contaminate other clothes..."

In desperation, I sank onto a bench.

"If you cannot wash it, then where can I take it? I was in a fuss, I threw it away and I took it back from the garbage bin...I still want to keep it...It was just in a black plastic bag in the garbage bin in a whole day...It is not quite dirty...Just a little bit of rubbish on it...Not muddy rubbish..."

"If you disagree, I would take it home and disinfect it myself first...Then I will still need to take it here..."

The woman examined the sofa cover closely. It was smelly. I explained that it has been rinsed in water for three days. And a bit of mud on it.

"One hundred Yuan. I will brush it bit by bit, disinfect it with lots of detergent, and roll it in a large washing machine. It is too difficult to wash it. If you pay 100 Yuan, then you do not have to take it home. I will wash it for you. "

I took out my cellphone and paid 100 Yuan. My heart was aching. 

This would be the last time I make payment for the damned sofa cover. 

Would it be healthy? Would bacteria remain on it?

On my way back home, I was thinking of another matter.

If I fetch it back the day after tomorrow, would it actually restore its cleanness? It has stayed in the garbage bin for a whole day! Each day, residents threw kitchen garbage or unknown rubbish there. Would the sofa cover be thoroughly clean after washing? Would any invisible bacteria remain? Would some unknown or mysterious bacteria turn very steady and always adhere on the cloth? If I sit on the cover in the future, would I sit as comfortably as I previously did?

The money was spent for it. 

I clenched my fist.

I phoned my father and complained to him aloud about the whole incident. He was annoyed.

"Why should you throw the sofa cover away?" 

"Why did you do this?" He investigated this matter in a harsh tone.

"We spent money on the sofa and the cover!" 

I was panting. I omitted any explanation.

He said the matter would come to an end, as 100 Yuan was paid to wash the sofa cover anew.

I was assured that the sofa cover would turn thoroughly clean. The garbage bin was not as dirty as I imagined. 

The day after tomorrow, I will fetch my old friend from the laundry. 

It will be the brand-new white robe for my sofa.