No Dishpan Hands For Hick

In case you were concerned about Hick getting dishpan (I mean dishwasher) hands while loading loading and unloading the dishwasher at the Senior Center... you can relax. Hick's hands are as good as when he walked through the door Friday noon to eat fish. I must say, I was a bit disappointed.

It's not that I was wishing Hick's hard-working hands to become red and chapped. But a few puckery fingertips would have given me a certain satisfaction. Don't judge me! There's more to the story.

Friday morning, Hick sat on the long couch, waiting for time to leave for his SUS2 (Storage Unit Store 2). We were watching Leave It to Beaver. The episode where Wally had an invitation to the lake, but didn't tell Ward and June that his buddy's parents would not be there to supervise. Anyhoo... the Cleavers were sitting down to breakfast.

"Look at that. All June did all day was cook, wash dishes, cook, wash dishes, cook some more, and wash the dishes again. I'm surprised she had time for all her other chores."

"That's just how it is. You have some funny ideas."

"Typical. YOU don't even notice it, because you'd be getting everything handed to you. Look at the table. The boys have a juice glass, milk glass, and water glass. Ward and June have coffee cups and saucers, plus their juice glasses. The orange juice is in a carafe. You know they'll drink it all. The toast on a separate plate. All the silverware, the butter dish, the plates, the skillets where June cooked the eggs and sausage. And it's just the start of her day. You have no idea what it's like to constantly clean up after other people."

Hick didn't see anything wrong with it. Nor when they were sitting down in the evening with a cup and saucer for their after-dinner coffee. I guess he never gave any thought to where all that stuff came from, or went away to. Which is why he used to expect the same from me, despite me leaving and getting home at the same time as him, with 'homework' from teaching. As he always said if I dared complain: "I mow the yard!" Yeah. Four months a year, once a week.

Anyhoo... when Hick got home Friday night, I asked how he liked washing the dishes.

"Oh, I didn't wash any dishes."

"WHAT? How'd you get out of that? Did you make them feel sorry for you?"

"No. Benny did it."

"Who's Benny?"

"He's a volunteer who comes in to help."

So Hick got out of loading a dishwasher for 30 people's plates and glasses. He's a charmed one, our Hick.