A true story from the childhood of Christine T.
During the summer of 1970 my parents, my father's two brothers and their families all got together and rented a large house on a lake for the month of August. Among us five cousins, my bother, Robbie was the youngest while my Aunt Beth's boys, Jack and Phil were the oldest. My cousin, Deb, who had always been my good friend as well, and I were within weeks of being the same ageI had turned 11 in June and Debbie had in mid July.
The lake was wonderful because we'd all go swimming and roughhousing in the water every day. When the boys made things too boisterous for us, Deb and I were allowed to go looking for blueberries to get away. Even now whenever I look back on those times I wish that my own daughter could have had such an opportunity. Times were simpler then and kids were pretty much allowed to be kids if they wanted to be.
The following dialogue is made up from what I believed to have occurred among my mother and my aunts on this particular day. Us kids were already down at the lake playing, while the aunts had all put their bathing suits on but were lingering over coffee up on the lake house's huge screened porch before heading down to the dock to do a couple hours of daily ritual sunning. My mom, whose name is Carolyn, and Aunt Amy were 34 and 32, respectively, while my Aunt Beth was 38. They'd known each other from the days that they dated their husbands and over the years had become steadfast good friends.
"The kids have been having a ball, haven't they?" said my Aunt Beth over a cup of coffee and a cigarette. "This summer has really been good for them all. And they all get along so well together."
"They have been busy. At least that gives me some time to do some of the things I've wanted to do all year. I can't tell you when I've had time to sit and read a book," said Carolyn.
"The only problem with them being so busy, at least in the case of Debbie, is that she hasn't made enough time to go to the bathroom.
'Oh, Oh, that's not a good sign, Amy. Soon you're going to have a sick child on your hands. And being up here she'll be miserable because she won't be out playing with her cousins," said Carolyn.
"I know, I know. I've had her eating All Bran for breakfast and even gave her some Ex- lax a couple of days ago. Nothing seems to help all that much. She's just too excited to take the time to go."
"All kids can be like that," added Aunt Beth. "Even boys. I think there might be a few suppositories left in the jar in my train case. I'll go look. Give her one of those and you will have her going in no time at all."
"She's fine when she's home. Honest, I don't think I've had a problem with her ever. Not even as an toddler."
"It happens," said Carolyn. "My two will get real busy and not make time to go. It's just part of being a kid. What you need, Amy, is another one just to keep you busy."
"Oh, Carolyn, please. Don't even think that. I'm not sure I want another pregnancy."
"Sorry, Amy," said Beth coming back into the kitchen, "But I must have put the jar back empty. We can pick some more up when we head to town for groceries a little later."
"You know, Amy, you could give her a little enema. I'll bet she doesn't need that much to help her go."
"An enema? I wouldn't know even how to give one of those. Although I do remember getting one when I was in labor and being prepped for delivery. And many years ago when I was a child my mother must have given me one, but I can't say I remember that very well."
"It's no big deal, Amy," interjected Beth, "We could help you if you want. I still give one to each of the boys on occasion if they need it. But whatever you do, don't mention it to them because I think they'd die of embarrassment if you did," said Beth with a tiny chuckle.
"Amy, we'll help you with Debbie. It won't take long and she'll be feeling better in no time at all. You know you don't have to wait for one to work. Both Chrissy and Robbie get occasional enemas, too. They're really not the bother you think they are to give!"
"Well, maybe. But I'll have to think about this."
"What's to think about? We can give Debbie an enema and she can be feeling better and back out by the lake in less than an hour," added Beth.
"Oh, all right. But I'll have take you up on that offer for the two of you to help me. I don't think she is going to be all that enthusiastic about this, though. After all, she's never had one. Besides, the other problem is do we have anything around here that we can use to give one?" she said.
"Amy, you've got to be kidding us. I know you brought your douche bag because I saw it hanging in the bathroom drying the other day," interjected Beth who also noted that Amy had just turned a bright shade of crimson.
"Well, I, ah . . ." stuttered Amy unable to get the words out.
"It's OK, Amy. We're all family. Remember? And besides, we won't tell anyone!"
Amy went to her bedroom and soon returned with a blue vinyl pouch that contained her douche bag that was popularly known at that time as a folding syringe. The three women promptly retreated to the large, but utilitarian bathroom of the lake house where Carolyne and Beth coached Amy on the preparation of her daughter's enema.
"Here's some Ivory," said my mom taking the white bar from the tub and handing to Amy who had just finished attaching the hose and rectal pipe to her folding syringe. "Make a warm and somewhat soapy solution in that cooking pot that Beth brought from the kitchen." Amy did as she was told and soon the robins egg blue syringe was hanging from a hook on the wall, its sides bulging from the enema it contained.
"I'm just worried about Debbie getting all upset with this. She won't know what to expect," said Amy. "It's not going to hurt is it?"
"Wow, I guess you meant it when you said that you did know anything about giving one of these. Didn't you?"
"Here's an idea. Maybe it would be a good idea if Carolyn and I should give you one first. Just so you know what it will feel like for Debbie. Besides, as my mom used to say, 'a good cleaning out never hurt anyone."
"What? Oh, gosh. I don't know about that. It's not that I have to go or haven't been going regularly for the time we've been up here."
"That's not the point. You need to know what it feels like. That's all!" replied Carolyn.
"OK, then it's settled, Amy. We need you take your suit off and lie down on this towel," said Beth taking command of the situation and spreading a large beach towel on the square patterned linoleum bathroom floor.
Amy's face flushed. It had been over eleven years since she'd had an enema and from what she remembered she didn't much care for the one she'd been given when she had been in labor. But nevertheless, here she was in a bathroom with her two sisters-in-law, her own douche bag hanging from the wall full of a warm soapy enema intended for her insides and being told to take her clothes off. "No backing out now, I guess," she said to herself as she reached up, slid the straps of her bathing suit off her shoulders and pulled it down and finally off. She stepped out of the suit and as she stood in the bathroom totally naked to the world, a sense of vulnerability came over her.
Just seeing Amy standing there, Carolyn and Beth felt a certain uneasiness as well, but collectively screwed up their courage to see this through. "OK, Amy, go ahead and kneel on the towel and put your head down at the floor.
Amy swallowed hard, took a deep breath and finally complied. As she did so she noticed that Beth spread some Vaseline on the nozzle and kneeled down next to her. She felt her face flush more when Beth spread her cheeks and gently inserted the nozzle. It really didn't feel uncomfortable, but she wasn't accustomed to having anything inserted into that particular body opening. Within moments she heard a familiar faint click. It was the same one she'd heard numerous times when she had used this syringe to douche.
The warm soapy enema began to fill her. It was more or less pleasing at first, but then as she took more volume, Amy sensed the onset of a cramp that soon overwhelmed her. "Oh, Beth, that hurts! Please stop it! Oh!"
Beth instinctively pinched the hose to retard the flow and from the expression on Amy's face she could tell that the cramping had subsided. Releasing the pressure from between her thumb and index finger, Beth allowed the enema to once again flow at its full force. The cramping apparently did not returned as Amy did not signal any more discomfort. Soon the once bulging bag hung flat against the bathroom wall meaning that over a quart of warm, soapy water was churning away up inside Amy.
"That's all, Amy. Just give it a few minutes to work before you try to get rid of it," coached Carolyn as Beth removed the nozzle from Amy's bottom.
Just before she thought she wouldn't be able to hold the enema any longer, Amy got up. When she did so, she looked down and saw that her tummy was a bit distended. "Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed, I haven't looked like this since I was pregnant with Debbie. Finally she sat down on the toilet and began expelling the enema. It happened slowly at first and was just the sensation of the warm water passing out of her. However, then it quickened into a torrent of both soapy water and the waste matter that had been inside her. While she knew that she hadn't been constipated, she was nevertheless amazed, not only how much it was cleaning out of her, but how fast it had worked as well. "Clearly, far better than any laxative," she thought to herself. "Beth and Carolyn were right," she concluded. "This what I'm going to have to give Debbie once I'm through."
Amy finally finished and cleaned herself up.
"You did just fine, Amy," said Carolyn. "Now that you know what it's like, do you think you might be able to give one to Debbie now?"
"It's really not a big deal. And I have to admit that it didn't hurt either. Besides it sure is fast acting, isn't it?" she replied pulling her bathing suit back on and positioning its straps back on her shoulders after first adjusting each of her breasts in the cups of its built-in bra. "Let's see how well it will work for Debbie. You'll both help me, though, won't you?"
"Oh, I'll work so well that you'll wonder why you haven't been using them before. As far as helping, no, problem. When do you want to do it?"
"I guess there's no time like the present. Let me go call her."
"OK, we'll prepare another one, then," said Beth taking the blue bag down from the hook on the wall.
Amy went to the door of the porch and called, "Debbie! Can you come up here for a minute?"
"Sure, Mom!" she replied not knowing the exact reason, but doing what her mom wanted and heading for the steps that led from the lake's edge to the porch.
End
