Thursday, January 13, 2011

my dry cleaner loves me


This morning I took some time to evaluate my job/ role as a wife.
You know, how I think I'm doing.

This isn't something I do on a regular basis.
Actually, I don't know if I've ever thought about it much.
Maybe never.

But three little words spoken to me this morning made me stop and think.
I'm sure you'll never guess what those words were.

It all started when I walked into the dry cleaners and the man working there said
"Hello, Mrs. Smith." (name changed for safety)

I stopped in my tracks and these were my thoughts...
He knows my name? Already?
We haven't been coming here that long!
The Hubby is the one that usually drops off and picks up his cleaning.
We must come here WAY too often!
He must think I'm a really bad wife, not doing my husbands laundry.

That's how the whole "let's re-evaluate your wifely duties" conversation in my head started.
I spent the drive home thinking about it.

I'd like to plead my case.
The Hubby and I had only been married a year or two and we were having the same fight over and over.
It was our "tube-of-toothpaste-fight".
You know how people tease newly married couples about fighting over squeezing the tube of toothpaste different ways.
I never really understood that.
Just buy two tubes for goodness sakes! Geez! (which we always have. I squeeze from the middle and Hubby neatly from the end... silly, I know).

So anyhoo, our "tube-of-toothpaste-fight" centered around laundry.
Specifically, me not doing it "right".

Week after week he pointed out this mistake of not hanging a certain shirt straight or that mistake of over drying a special pair of pants.
It was bad. Okay, I'll admit this was much bigger than some tube-of-toothpaste-fight.
Finally, one day I snapped.
"I'm done!" I announced. "From now on, you can do your own laundry."

And for almost twenty years I've held my ground.

As he has gotten busier with work over the years, more and more of his clothes go to the dry cleaners.
And I never really thought about it.
Until today.

That whole drive home I asked myself
"should you give in and do his laundry again?"
"are you a bad wife?"
"the fighting will start again. is it worth it?"

I decided I would bring it up with The Hubby when I got home.
If he thinks it's crazy the guy already knows me by name then maybe I'll start doing his laundry again.

You know, kinda like a "laundry sign".

He was in the shower when I got home.
"Honey?" I yelled over the noise of the water "You want to hear something crazy?"
and I told him.
"Oh, that's nothing! He knew my name by the second week. And you know what's really crazy? He has also known the last 4 digits of our phone number just as long!"

Whew! Turns out the laundry guy is just one of those freaky people that can remember people and numbers well (I like to call them freaky people only because I'm extremely jealous).

But there's something else that makes me wonder.
Just before we moved away from Kalamazoo I received a gift from the little old lady at the dry cleaners.
A very nice pair of hand made slippers (that Tony has stolen and won't give back to me)
I figured they gave them out to everyone.

Now I'm not so sure.

9 comments:

Mrs. Sarcasm said...

That is too funny. Good for you for standing your ground this long! Think of it this way, you are just helping out a local business if you ever feel guilty again! As for me, I know that evaluating my role as "wife" would depress me so I will wait until we are 20 years in!!

Pam said...

Do NOT, under any circumstances, start doing his laundry again. As a matter of fact, you should start taking your laundry to the dry cleaners as well. It's not about being a good wife. It's about working smarter - not harder!

Brian Miller said...

i do laundry...it makes my wife excited...

Liz Mays said...

I wish I had freakish memory abilities like that cleaner, but don't do the laundry for him. Let it stand as is!

McGillicutty said...

OK... here's my ten cents... we had the same issues and I make my mans do his own nasty laundry. He even has his own hamper so his skivvies don't have to fraternize with mine.
Secondly.. I too am the crazy lady with the strong memory for names of clients and yes it freaks them out! Isn't it great customer service? You'd think so but peeps are so afraid of everything these days they get worried when you try and give small town good old fashioned values. That's not directed at you... you are wonderful and should stop second guessing yourself!!!! hugs!!!!

Baino said...

GAwd I can't remember my licence plate. And good for you holding your ground. I don't think my son knows how to turn the washing machine on.

mommyto3kiddos said...

I'll never have to worry about Mike getting mad about the laundry being done wrong...if anything, it would be vice-versa I'd love to be able to take my clothes to the cleaners ever week! :)

Oh, and I too am one of those crazy people with knack for remembering faces & numbers! :P

Deborah said...

Hi,
I just popped over from my blog. I still have your widget up and I haven't been by in a LONG while...sorry about that. I hope your hearing is all back to normal by now. Hope all is well.
Have you written any books?
Have a great day~
xxoo
Deborah

Travis said...

You...have disappeared. I was reading through some old blogs and saw some of you comments and thought, "Hmmm. I haven't heard from her in a while!" I hope all is well, and I suppose I could have just put all this in an email. Oh well, hope you get this!