Airing our dirty laundry

posted Sat, 23 Sep 2006

I’m gathering the towels, sheets and other whites to do laundry.

SH: Are you going to do darks?

Me: No. I did them on Thursday.

SH: OK.

Me: Why?

SH: I might have some.

Me: What do you mean, “might?” Either your clothes are dirty or they’re not. It’s a binary state.

SH: No, it’s not. [SH is “nuanced.”]

Me: Yes, it is. If your clothes are dirty, put them in the dirty clothes hamper.

SH: I have some clothes that I could wear again but if it’s time to do laundry, I wash them.

Me: [deep, impatient sigh] I wash clothes when I have a full load. If the basket is full, that’s when I do laundry. I am not going to go through your clothes to see if there is anything there that needs washing. If you want it washed, put it in the dirty clothes.

SH: You want to reduce every damn thing in life to black and white, right and wrong. [Full disclosure – we are also arguing about whether poor kids raised without fathers in a crime-ridden neighborhood should be held accountable for crimes they commit. Guess which side I’m on.]

Me: I can’t believe you’re the engineer and I’m the English major.

SH: There are more than two states for clothes: there is clean, dirty and can be worn one more time.

Me: If you want it washed, put it in the basket.