Dirty Dishes (second draft)

A sink full of dirty dishes causes a lot of heartache.

It’s 3:45 PM as I look up from the boring review book. I need to pass this test to start at the brokerage firm. I really need this job but my mind is wondering all over the place. Too many facts and figures have gone through my brain today and right now I’m not sure I can stick with it.

I come from a family of college graduates; computer programmers, accountants and financial planners and this is not the life my parents envisioned for me. I was going to be an engineer but that’s in the past now. I’ve always been great with math but thinking about it, I’m not sure that I really wanted to be an engineer. I think it was what my parents expected me to be.

I’m twenty one years olds and I never thought I be working in retail at this stage in my life. It’s something I did in high school to put gas in my car and have money to go out with my friends on the weekend. It’s not something I ever planned on making a career out of.

The licensing exam is only a few days away and I’ve still got half this book to review. My mouth is dry so I take a sip of the soda that’s been diluting in the glass next to me. I realize that I need to leave in a few minutes to go pick up Erin from the store so there’s no point in trying to cram any more facts into my rapidly, numbing brain.

My car’s been broken for weeks and I’ve got no money to fix it. My parent’s won’t give me the money either; tough love I think they call it.

I’ve been borrowing my girlfriend Erin’s car which is fine, I guess. It just means I need to drive all the way over to her parents’ house every morning to take her to work at the bank, then head to my crappy retail job and then back to pick her up in the afternoon. It hasn’t been that easy juggling all this and finding time to study but what choice do I have? I can either bitch about it and work at Sears the rest of my life or do something to make it better.

I live with my parents still but you wouldn’t think so based on how much time I spend there. I spend most of my time over at Erin’s house. Most nights we end up falling asleep in the den then I wake up and drive home at about four in the morning.

Her father is usually pretty cool about it. He’s been good to me and isn’t judgmental about the fact that I work in retail. I make it a point to leave before they get up. I’m sure her parents know that more than sleeping goes on but I don’t want to throw it in their faces. It’s really all about respect.

Her parents were out at some function last night and stayed in a hotel so I didn’t go home. It made things easier since I didn’t have to drive back here to take Erin to work. Nothing wrong with a few hours more sleep and I got to spend the entire day in quiet, studying over here.

I hear the garage door open which means her mother must have gotten home early. Hopefully she’s in a good mood. That woman doesn’t know how to handle stress. You’d think she runs a Fortune 500 company or something and not a boring back office job shuffling loan paperwork for a car dealership.

“Hi, Mrs. Collins,” I call, trying to sound cheery. No Answer. I might as well get up and see if she needs help with anything before I leave.

“The least you could do was clean up your God-damn dishes from the sink ” she yells as she magically materializes in the doorway of the den.

I try to reply but she storms off. Oh boy This is not what I need right now. Stay calm and just try to find out what she’s talking about. I get up, put my books into my knapsack and head to the kitchen. I can hear her banging things. She must have had a great day at work.

Before I can say two words she starts in with me.

“Just because you’re dating our daughter doesn’t mean you can sit around all day on your ass and not do anything,” she says with an angry tone in her voice. “What kind of lazy bastard are you? We let you stay at our house and you can’t even do one simple thing ”

I can feel my face and neck getting red but I can’t give into my anger. She’s a hot head and I need to be the adult right now. Lazy bastard? That would be their good-for-nothing son Richie whose dishes are in the sink. I guess taking out their garbage, feeding and walking their dogs every day and generally tidying up is being lazy?

“Mrs. Collins. I can understand your upset but those are from Richie’s dinner last night.“

“I don’t want to hear your excuses and don’t try to blame my son for this,” she says.

Never Not poor little Richie who’s lucky not to be in jail right now with all the crap he does. Their son is seventeen years old and he’s not a good kid. He’s got an attitude and is always out to prove something. He’s got a chip on his shoulder; classic little man syndrome to go along with his 5' 6 pudgy body. To make matters worse, his parent’s had him take karate lessons with the wrong type of instructor so he thinks he’s some type of tough guy.

“I’m not trying to blame anyone. I just want to talk about this calmly. It’s obvious you’ve had a rough day-“

“Fuck you ” she blurts out.

“Ok I can see we’re not going to resolve anything. I’m gonna go and maybe when you are a little more calm we can talk this out.” I try to sound as non-confrontational as I can as I pick up Erin’s car keys.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

“I have to go,” I say.

“Not with my daughter’s car you’re not ”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. You’re not taking that car ”

“Mrs. Collins, it’s your daughter’s car and she lets me use it.” Just keep your voice down and stay calm I tell myself.

“I don’t give a fuck whose car it is. You’re not leaving with that car. You can walk your ass home for all I care.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way but I have to go. I actually have to go pick her up at the store.”

“If you leave with that car, I’m reporting it stolen.”

I knew she was irrational at times but I never knew she was completely unhinged. “There’s no reason it has to come to that but I really have to pick her up. She’s probably waiting for me.” I open the door to the garage and I see her reaching for the phone.

“That’s it, I’m calling the police ”

“I wish it didn’t have to come to this but you have to do what you have to do,” I say as I walk out the door. She’s probably bluffing but who the hell knows with this crazy woman.

I get in the car and back out as fast as possible. I want to scream and put my fist through the windshield but that isn’t going to do much for me right now. I make it to the store and pull up to the front. I feel bad that she’s stuck with out a car but at least there are a few stores near her job so she can go shopping after work.

I don’t see Erin so I assume she’s still shopping. I can probably use a little time to compose myself so I park the car and walk across the parking lot into the store.

She said she was going to buy some clothes so I head over to women’s department and see her browsing through a rack of blouses. She sees me and gives me a big smile. At least someone is happy to see me.

“Hey baby,” she says as she gives me a kiss.

“Hey.” I think she can tell something is up.

“Matt, what’s wrong?”

“Your mother...”

“What happened?”
I explain the situation to her and I can see the mushroom clouds forming in her eyes. World War 3 is about to ensue.

“I can’t believe she pulled that shit with you,” she fumes. “She knows how hard you are studying. I’m going to-“

I interrupt her before she can get going. She’s a red head and Irish to boot; not a great combination for patience. She has the same fiery temperament as her mother only in a younger and more attractive package.

“It’s your mother. You know how she gets some times. Let’s just go grab something to eat and let things cool down.”

“No way. I’m tired of her shit.”

There’s no point in arguing with her. Last thing I need is both Collins women pissed off at me. We head to the car and I drive back to her house as slowly as possible. Each turn and bend in the road just adds to the agony. I can imagine the battle royal that is about to commence. We pull into the driveway and by some miracle her mother isn’t home. I stop the car and she starts to get out.

“How about I just head home and we let this one go?” I plead with her hoping she’ll see the wisdom in my suggestion.

“No. When my parents get home I’m gonna give them a piece of my mind.”

We head inside and Erin is starting to remind me of her mother. She is on the verge of ranting.

“I’m not going to live here anymore,” she picks up the local classified ads and starts looking at apartments.

“This is crazy. Look it’s nothing. It’ll blow over,” I say as I take a seat at the kitchen table.

“No way. She pulls this stuff all the time. We were talking about moving out anyway so now’s the perfect opportunity.”

“How the hell are we going to afford this?”

“You’re going to get the job and between the two o f us we’ll get by.”

“I don’t even have the job yet and it’s mostly commission.” She is starting to scare me.

She is about to pick up the phone and start calling for apartments when the sound of two cars pulling into the driveway stop her. It looks like both of her parents are home. Her father is usually pretty calm. Hopefully now we can talk this out like grown ups and move on.

The garage door opens and her father steps through the door. He’s got a look on his face that says he’s not happy to see me. Mrs. Collins is right behind him and is burning holes through me with her eyes.

“You, get the fuck out of my house ” he screams as he points a finger at me.

“You don’t want to talk it out?”

“Talk it out Talk it out,” he says over and over. “I ought to kick your ass ”

So much for diplomacy

He advances towards me as I rise from the chair. I see the rage rising in his face. Mrs. Collins must have fed him a whopper of a tale. He is right in my face, rambling about something.

“Sir, please back away from me,” I say as respectfully as I can.

“Back away,” he repeats as he starts to take off his jacket. I might be young but I know what that’s the sign for.

Mr. Collins is a good size man and a retired cop but he’s also fifty three years old with a bad back and I’m two years removed from being the captain of the track team. Not that I want to fight my girlfriend’s father but I’m also not going to let someone hit me either. That’s not my main concern right now. I know he keeps a snub nosed revolver on him and while I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t resort to pulling it, at this point anything can happen.

I feel like a cornered animal and my fists are beginning to clench. It’s going to be the “Rumble in the Jungle” or more likely the Collision at the Collins’ as he takes a menacing step towards me. My body tenses as I wait for the brawl to begin but out of the blue I see Erin flying at her father, pushing him. She’s screaming at him and he father is totally taken by surprise.

“I thought you said there’s always three sides to a story, yours, mine and the truth? I guess that only applies to other people?” she screams at him. I’d heard him say those very words so many times but I guess everyone is a hypocrite in the end.

Her father is crestfallen as she continues her verbal assault and I can’t help but admit that some part of me is enjoying this. He has the look that only a father can have who has disappointed his little girl. It is like he is being pierced by a sharp knife. As much as I think he deserves it, I actually feel sorry for the guy.

I walk around the table to put a little distance between her father and me when I hear a voice down the hall.

“What’s going on? What’s all the shouting?” I hear her brother say. I didn’t even know that the little shit was home.

The mother says something I can’t make out in the confusion and I see Richie charge. “What did you say to my mother?”

I’m in no mood for his bullshit. I snap my head in his direction. “Back the hell off, Richie ”

He can tell by my face that I mean business. For all his bad ass attitude and karate prowess, he’s just a seventeen year old punk and quietly leaves the room.

One Collins down and two more to go. Erin is still holding her father at bay and Mrs. Collins is just standing there. She’s probably in shock that her daughter would be this ferocious. I can tell this is going nowhere fast and try to regain order.

“Maybe I should just leave,” I shout over the commotion.

“Shut the fuck up,” both parents say in unison almost like they had rehearsed it.

The battle between father and daughter is starting to lessen. Tears are streaming down Erin’s face but she is still very angry. I know this is killing her. She always idolized her father and it makes me sad to know in some way I’m to blame for what is happening.

Erin’s disappointment is reflected at her father and he cracks. He’s a proud man but I can tell he’s dying inside. As much as I think he deserves it, it’s painful and I’m now the one that feels like he’s being pierced by the knife. Her father’s defenses break and he loses composure. I can see tears cascading down his face as he quickly walks out of the kitchen.

Erin is a wreck and my heart aches watching her be like this. I put my arm around her and she melts into me seeking solace. He mother is just standing on the other side of the kitchen not looking at anyone. I hope your proud of yourself, lady.

A few minutes pass and her father comes back, looking drained, his face ashen. I figure this might be my best chance to say my peace.

“Can I tell my side of things now?”

Her father doesn’t say anything and I wait for her mother to tell me to shut up again but even she holds her tongue.

“I don’t know how a couple of dishes left in the sink turned into this fiasco?”

“Dishes? This has nothing to do with dishes,” her father replies, his voice shaky.

“Well then I have no idea why this got so blown out of proportion.”

“I thought we always treated you well, like a son and you disrespect my wife and me.”

“Sir, I have no idea what your talking about. How did I disrespect the two of you?”

“The car. You told my wife if she didn’t like it to call the fucking cops. What are they going to do.”

“What ” I’m incredulous but a light bulb just went on. His wife lied to him and he doesn’t even know it. “Sir, I’d never say something like that. I’d hope you know me better by now.”

“You didn’t say that?”

“No,” I say emphatically.

He’s looking at his wife and I can sense the distrust. “What did you say?”

“Well we got into the disagreement with the car and I could see it wasn’t going to be resolved so I started to leave when your wife said she was going to call the cops.”

“Is that was you said?” He turns towards his wife.

“Yeah, so?” she says not realizing the game is over.

“So I told her I’m sorry she felt she needed to do that but I understood that she had to do what she had to do.”

Mr. Collins is in disbelief. “Is that what he said?”

“Yeah,” she says grudgingly finally realizing that she’s lost.

Mr. Collins has the look of a man betrayed. There is no anger at least not at me anymore only disgust directed at his wife. He gets up, mumbles “Goodnight” and leaves. Mrs. Collins slithers out of the room a few minutes later.

I realize too much damage has been done this night and its best that I leave. Erin wants me to stay but I’m drained and she can probably use the rest. We embrace and she kisses me passionately.

“Do you know how much I love you?” she says.

“Not as much as I love you. You have no idea how proud I am of you standing up to your father like that.”

“He was wrong and he got what he deserves.”

“He was wrong but your mother manipulated him. He was just trying to defend his wife. For that I feel sorry for him. Even with that, I can’t think of your parents the same way anymore. I can’t believe your mother would do that to me and I can’t, I won’t come into the house until your father invites me in.”

She starts to protest but I kiss her again to end the conversation. I get into her car and drive off.

***

It’s Thanksgiving and I hadn’t seen her parents in over two months. We just came back from her grandparents’ house for dinner. It was a little tense there but nobody else in the family knew about the altercation. It’s not something any of us would want to broadcast. I didn’t really talk to her parents much. I wouldn’t even look at her mother and he father avoided me mostly out of guilt.

Erin is trying to get me to come inside. I’ve lived up to my word and not set foot in the house since that day. I see her parents’ Lincoln Towncar pulling into the driveway so that’s my cue to leave. The car passes and her mother doesn’t even acknowledge us. I guess I’d be pissed too if I let a twenty one year old kid get the better of me.

Erin kisses me goodbye as I turn on the ignition. I’m getting ready to back out of the driveway when I hear a rap on the driver’s side window. I look up to see her father standing there so I roll down the window.

“I just want to say congratulations on passing that test. I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks,” I mumble.

“Why don’t you come in for some pumpkin pie. I know it’s your favorite.”

“Maybe.”

“Well, we’ll be inside if you decide to join us,” he says as he departs.

I’m torn. I still can’t forget what they did. I know my relationship with them will always be tarnished and it’s colored the way I think about the future at least where Erin is concerned. How could I ever feel a part of this family after what’s happened?

I’ve always prided myself on believing in forgiveness. People make mistakes so maybe I shouldn’t be a hypocrite. It’s always been about respect and in his own way, Mr. Collins just paid me some.

I think the most important thing I’ve learned is forget the mistakes of the past. I can’t let them be an excuse or hold me back any longer. Getting a real job and taking responsibility for my life is only the first step.

I’ve forgiven myself so maybe I can forgive them and move on. I turn off the ignition and head in for some pie knowing that I’m my own man now.

The End