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Cootie Girl: my love affair with a hot water bottle
1.18.2005
My earliest memory is me at age three outside my grandparents house (Nana and Ownie) playing with my cousins Fintan (same age) and Sandra (year younger) in Ireland. Nana and Ownie lived at #32 my cousins lived on the same block at #53. I somehow convinced Fintan and Sandra that we could blow bubbles in the piles of mud that were left after the rain (you know like you do in your chocolate milk). Listen I was only three give me a break. Well the story goes that I accidentally drank some mud and thought I was going to die. That was the first time I went to Ireland for the summer, I didn't go back until I was 11.
For some reason, possibly the influence of the only other American girl - who also happens to be the daughter of my mother's friend - I did not have fun my second summer in Ireland. I never hung out with Stacy (that was her name but you have to say it like Stay- SEA) when I was home in NY so I have no idea why I did when I was there. Maybe because she was a year older and thought she knew shit - she knew nothing. How could I have been so influenced by this New Jersey girl is beyond me? Luckily my mother brought me back when I was 13 and Stacy wasn't there. I became close friends with my cousin Sandra after this year and hung out with her and all of her friends. My mother would take me back almost every summer after that and I would stay "on the hill" (because Nana and Ownie literally lived on the top of a hill) for 5 to 8 weeks a summer.
When I was "underage" we use to go to these non-alcoholic dances and stuff they would have for the younger kids. I say "underage" in "quotes" because there really is no drinking age in Ireland. Basically if you can see over the bar you could drink. Well me being the BIG American girl I got to hit the pubs early and tried my hardest to get my cousin in with me. I think I must have been 15 when I first went to the big nightclub in the town - it was called The Oasis. My uncle had come to America and he stayed at our house for a while so I got to meet a few of his friends, one of them along with my aunt took me out to The Oasis but my cousin Sandra was too young so she couldn't come along. The discos are really strange over there - I am sure it's because their music charts are so mixed unlike here where we have a separate chart for all types of music. The disco seemed like a really bad high school dance complete with slow sets and all and I loved every minute of it. I danced with a fella not sure because I was only 15 but I swore he was almost 30 and we danced a slow dance to Brian Ferry's song "Slave to Love" - I can't hear that song and still be a little creeped out.
My Nana was really cool. A year or two later she use to help me and Sandra sneak out. She would arrange that we would have a sleepover at #32 and my mother would stay up at #53 (which is further along the hill going away from town). We would be dressed to go out with the covers up to our necks saying good night to our parents. Once they were gone Nana would come up and tell us the coast was clear and out we went. The nights were cold in Ireland even in the summer so when we would get home from our night out (fetching the key from the post under the hedge) and up into our beds. Nana always kept the beds warm with a hot water bottle. She knew when I was younger I was a little freaked out buy the rubble bottle in the bed I think because it smelled funny or I never saw one before. That night when we got home she had a new hot water bottle one with a soft light blue cover on it. I loved that about her and I became quite fond of the hot water bottle after that.
Nana past away a few years ago and all I wanted was the blue hot water bottle. I couldn't make it back to Ireland for her funeral so I asked my mother to bring that back for me. I haven't used it because it is very worn and I don't want to ruin it. My sister found a hot water bottle with a knit stripped cover on it (they look something like this). I don't think Kathy knew that I was looking for one when she gave it to my mother. I just found it sitting in the living room with the rest of my mother's unused Christmas gifts and I asked her if I could have it. For the past three nights the bottle has been keeping me warm. What I also love about this hot water bottle is that is has a little plastic frame sowed onto it so you can put a picture in it. I am going to look for one of Nana because I am sure she is happy I am using one again.
You should get one - they really are lovely.
