Tuesday 26 May 2009

It lasts and lasts and lasts!


This post was prompted by NiceAnon's post, Curiosity Killed The Cat. But it is not about curiosity, no, NiceAnon has done justice to that. Rather, it is about something much simpler: Imperial Leather. Cusson's Imperial Leather..... the soap that lasts, and lasts, and lasts. Boy oh boy, did i hate that soap!

Between 1994 and 2001 when I finally escaped into the university - yes, I actually escaped! Home had literally become Hell - things weren't exactly smooth for my family. Area General's biz was going south, and no matter how hard he tried the darn thing just refused to change course. So a new decree was promulgated: the "Decree of Conservation". No more wastage. No unnecessary sweets and biscuits. No more watching the telly unless it was NTA Network News. No more using toilet paper unless you really REALLY needed to. Mehhn, no be small ting-o. Long before I encountered the Law of Conservation of Energy in physics and chemistry, I knew what it was all about.

Next came the "Decree of Scarce Resources and Opportunity Costs". This decree became the 10 Commandments that determined what was bought in our house. No article which had a cheaper and/or last-longing variety was ever purchased again. And so, my brothers and I - five of us then, no girl, thank God - were introduced to the wonderful world of Cusson's Imperial Leather, the soap that lasts and lasts and lasts!

Nna-eh, that soap refused to finish! We will use it and use it and use it, and yet it would still remain. Long after all the scent and goodies in it had evaporated or gone wherever they go to - usually in less than two days after the soap was bought - the soap itself would still remain. Mind you, it was all of us using it-o: dad(Area General), mum, myself, #2, #3, #4 (who was always demanding for biscuits), and little #5 (whom i swear was heavier than Yokozuna), plus the occasional aunt or uncle. All of us would attack this soap, yet it ALWAYS lasted for at least two weeks. One bar of toilet soap! Chineke e kwela ihe ojo! (God forbid bad ting!)

Around 1999/2000 shaa, Area General's affairs improved somewhat, and we slowly - sloooooowwwwwwllyy eased off to Premier soap (the family size brand), then Lux, and much later Dettol and Delta. I used to worry that mum was using the same soap with us until I found out she'd been buying her own special toilet soaps all along. Good for her. And good thing too I didn't have a sister; if it'd been hard for me, I wonder what it would have been for her, using the same soap with everyone else in the family - and Imperial Leather at that!

Area General still buys the darned soap up till now, but he uses it alone - for weeks on end, cos the frigging thing still lasts and lasts and lasts.... :D

11 comments:

LG said...

lolllllllll wat abt lifebuoy:-)

kay9 said...

Yeah, yeah, i can afford to laff about it now, but it sure wasn't funny then. :D

Thanx for stopping by, LG.

miss.fab said...

Lol. This was funny!

Sugabelly said...

This is terribly funny! :D Okay so I used to want to use Imperial Leather because I loved their adverts on NTA but I used a lot of Lux instead.


And trust me, if you want a soap that will outlive you and all your children, buy one bar of Monsavon. My Aunt got it for me when I left for boarding school. I ended up throwing it away because I realised it would never finish.

RocNaija said...

Lmaooo.. Funny ish..
I didn't have that much of a choice.. Sorted flitted between lux, lifebuoy & imperial..

Repressed One said...

LOL!! too funny. Omo, that kain soap na wetin dey na. You know you don't have to replace soap every week. I'm with Area General jare.

kay9 said...

@miss.fab: I luv it when my stories make peeps laff, i mean, wat good is a funny story if no one is laffing at it? :D
And thanx for joinin ma club!!

@Suga:Monsavon?? Nne, i'v had all the long-lasting soap i want in this world!! Howz the Ndebe project going? ;)

@RocNaija: I guess all your folks had to do was buy one bar each of imperial, lifebuoy and lux, and they'd never have to worry about toilet soap that year!

@Repressed One: Abeg, economic crunch neva reach me like that. :D

blogoratti said...

You got me cracking up man...i mean really! lol.

Nice Anon said...

lol. Yes that soap used to last very long as well.lol

leggy said...

lol....i laugh.i kinda liked the soap...my dad used to bring it back from hotels and we'd be smelling it.lol

kay9 said...

I must apologize for my long absence from blogsville and not replying to your beautiful, BEAUTIFUL comments!

@blogaratti, NiceAnon and leggy: thanx fer stopping by!

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