Conversation, understandably, started stilted, and also understandably got less so as time went on and drinks were consumed.
So dinner wasn’t a disaster and now we were cleaning up.
Or, I should say, the women were.
“Can I ask why it’s always the women in the kitchen doing the dishes after, I’ll add, it was the women in the kitchen doing the cooking?” I queried.
“Have you seen your brother let loose in a kitchen?” Indy asked, drying a platter.
“Not recently,” I answered.
“It’s not pretty,” she returned. “He doesn’t even rinse his dishes before he puts them in the dishwasher. I’ve given up and told him just to put them in the sink.”
“You do know he does that so you would do that. In other words, he does a crap job so he won’t have to do the job at all. Or, in your case, anything,” I educated her. “He did that when he was at home, too.”
“This is true,” Mom, at the sink, muttered to Amalea.
“Well, it was a smart move because he doesn’t have to do anything,” Indy replied. “And it takes longer to complain about it than it does just to rinse his bowl and put it in the dishwasher.”
“Caving,” I stated.
“You’ll see,” she retorted.
“No I won’t,” I told her. “Ren cooks and does the dishes and he does both well.” I looked to Amalea. “Thanks for that, by the way.”
Amalea smiled at me and opened her mouth to speak, but Indy got there before her.
“You’re joking,” Indy said, and I looked back her way.
“Not even a little bit.” I grinned. “And he serves tater tots with breakfast.”
I knew that would get her.
It got her.
Indy’s eyes got wide and she whispered an envious, “You’re joking.”
“Nope,” I replied, still grinning.
“That’s… that’s like… that’s…” she stammered.
“Righteous?” I gave her a word.
“Totally,” she agreed.
“Hank does the dishes and he’s good at it,” Roxie put in. “He also makes great eggs, and he’s a grill master.”
“Whenever I suggest we grill something to Lee, he says we should go to a steak joint or invite ourselves over to your place,” Indy said to Roxie.
I took the rinsed serving bowl Mom handed to me and started wiping while saying, “You’re letting Lee get away with too much. You need to crack down.”
Indy shoved the platter in the cupboard. “I’m not sure cracking down works with Lee.”
In mixed company, I couldn’t suggest what would, so I didn’t say anything
“Just sayin’,” Connie put in. “Ren does all that stuff because Jeannie and me were like Lee.”
“This is true,” Amalea murmured to Mom.