Running On Empty ( Part 2)

(Part 1 of this story is under July 2010)

"Take out the trash!"

"Unload the dishwasher"

"Put away that game of monopoly- it's been on the table since last Tuesday"

"How many times have I told you not to leave your clothes on the floor?!"

Laura wondered if she would become hoarse. Yet she had vowed never to be that parent who yelled at her children. Years ago, during her first pregnancy, in that magical dreamy state, she used to imagine offspring who would carry out her wishes automatically,- become brilliant scientists, do their fair share of housework without being asked and be the light of her eyes.

Instead she was delving in her handbag for a lozenge to salve her sore throat and Excedrin had become her best friend. But something that was as painful as her now frequent migraines was that she knew exactly how this had happened.

Laura winced when she realized history was repeating itself.

She had grown up doing almost no housework whatsoever like some kind of duchess. Her parents used to excuse her when guests enquired why she didn't help out more came saying 'she's studying' as though her philosophy degree kept her busy around the clock. Nietzsche was interfering with her ability to mop a floor or scrub a kitchen sink .

Laura's mother had dropped out of high school to marry her sweet-heart. She did not regret her life choices but was proud of Laura's success so far. While her prodigal daughter was away at college , she would enter her room to dust trophies and would shiver at the titles of the titles strewn all over the floor which she could not even attempt to pronounce. Neo-platonism. Confucianism. Now why would she need to teach Laura about folding bed-sheets. Her daughter was destined for greatness. Besides, their time together was so precious.


Upon graduation, Laura moved back into the home. It was a much awaited day. Laura's father had painted her room a subtle shade of pink as a surprise. Her mother had made sure everthing in those four walls looked pristine. Laura was thrilled at all the changes and her parents' excitement.

Slowly though, as Laura got used to her surroundings, she became a little too comfortable. She began to leave clothes lying around on the floor. Her room was always a mess. But it wasn't curling irons or manicure supplies that were strewn all over the carpet. Instead- notebooks, highlighting pens, post-it notes, dictionaries.

One evening Laura's father came home after a particularly stressful day at work and went into the formal living room to connect with his Miles Davis collection He immediately tripped over a cereal bowl and an unfinished sandwich.

Was it possible that their daughter had become something of a slob?

He had tried to ignore the clothes and books all over the house but this was the last straw. They had spoiled their child. and it was intervention time.

The accusations began. Each parent blamed the other.


Laura would walk in on these heated arguments and became confused. She knew she needed to pull more weight but hadn't the skills. She was twenty-three years old and had never held a toilet brush in her hand.


But seeing her parents argue bitterly over her laziness became increasingly difficult to watch. She went to the library and began reading books with titles as exciting as:
"How to Clean Practically Anything" or "The Complete Home-Maker"
She began gradually by laying the table or loading the dishwasher daily and worked her way up to scrubbing counter tops.

But she never really embraced her chores- was too much of a free spirit. She would much rather go out and march for worker's rights or organize an anti- apartheid rally than dust a coffee table.

Once, Laura over-heard her mother laughing loudly whilst talking to her neighbor. She put had been designing a flyer for a neighborhood beautification project. She put down her stencils and went outside to find out what the joke was. Her mother smiled strangely and said:

"Oh there you are, I was just telling Mrs Dimitri how you can't mop the kitchen floor today because you are organizing a beach clean up!"

Laura's parents had passed away years ago with serious health problems. She had made them proud professionally but she never had become competent in the domestic sphere. Laura sighed. There was no escape from regrets about deceased parents.

All three of her children were home from school. Laura had learned how to become technologically savvy. She turned on her laptop and clicked on the you-tube icon. Slowly, she typed in "How to mop a floor",cut and pasted the link and emailed it to all three of her teen-agers. The subject line was:

"The buck stops here."