2/17/01
Household Chores
By: Lelu
leluh16@yahoo.com
PG
[Insert Standard Disclaimer]
Sighing, she folded the sleeves on the shirt over the
other and neatly creased the edges. Putting the shirt
on a spot of the bed that was not already occupied by
the other shirts, she grabbed the next shirt and
proceeded to fold it…but messed up and threw it to
the side. Wearily, she pushed a strand of golden hair
out of her face, glancing uneasily at the next
basketful of clothing that still needed to be folded.
"Why can't men fold their own damn clothes?!" she
exclaimed at the air, blue eyes rolling in frustration.
It had been a month since she and Mamoru had
wed…and although there were *many* *many*
benefits, she thought, of marriage…there also came
many responsibilities.
'Like washing the dishes…folding clothes…cleaning
the house from top to bottom…cooking…making
sure everything is in order…washing the
dishes…washing the dishes…'
"Damn!" the expletive burst from her pink mouth, a
word that one would never expect to hear from this
angel…this angel that could be quite demonic if she
wished to be. "I still have to wash the dishes…" She
glanced at the pile of clothes that lay on the floor and
then at the clothes that were still in the basket,
begging to be folded.
Now, she reasoned, folding the clothes wasn't so bad
of a task…She had done that chore since she had
been 6 years old, and now that she was 21, she was,
practically, an expert of the folding-of-the-clothes
process. She could have been finished folding those
two piles of clothes in about 10 minutes, less, if she
really wanted to hurry.
But Mamoru…he had his 'own way' of folding the
clothes…a completely opposite way of folding that
she had been practicing for the past 15 years. And if
the clothes weren't folded in *his* own specific way,
she would have to listen and watch another one of his
lectures of how the art of clothes-folding was done.
And she did *not* need to listen to it for the…what
was it? She glanced at the tablet of paper on the
desk…for the 48th time.
She took one last glance at the clothes and slowly
began to back out of the room. 'I can finish
later…before Mamo-chan comes home and finds out
the clothes aren't *all* folded like they're supposed
to be…' She turned and zipped out of the bedroom,
heading for the kitchen area.
She looked at the pile of dishes in the sink and nearly
fainted in surprise…and anger.
"I don't care if he *is* a certified doctor, or
whatever! MEN should do some of the housework!
Just because I don't have a job doesn't mean I have
all this free time to do this!" She glared angrily at the
dishes, wishing they would come to life so she could
then murder the objects.
Sighing, she grabbed the yellow rubber gloves - 'I
*hate* these rubber gloves!' - and pulled them on,
yanking them roughly over her hands and onto her
arms. She turned on the cold and hot water, picked up
the sponge, squeezed some soap onto it, and then
proceeded to wash each dish, one at a time.
'Another stupid way to wash the dishes…I used to
just turn on the water and let the water run until it
nearly filled the sink—easier, I think, than this way.
But nooo…Mamo-chan nearly had a heart attack
when he saw me do it the first time…*he* said it was
more sanitary to do it this way…'
She growled in the back of her throat, but grit her
teeth, and continued to wash the dishes…one by one
by one.
*
The door slammed shut and the sounds of whistling
proceeded the body. Mamoru walked into the family
room and looked around, surprised when he didn't
hear the welcoming voice of his wife.
"Usa-ko?" he called out. "Usa-ko…where are you?"
His eyebrows drew together. 'Where are you?'
He walked into the kitchen…and was very disturbed
by what he saw- there she was, feet propped up on
the table- 'Usa-ko,' he inwardly cringed, 'that's *so*
unsanitary!' -, reading a magazine and popping
cherries into her mouth. His glance fell by the
sink…which still had dishes filled in it, waiting to be
cleaned.
His eyes opened wide in surprise. Without words, he
spun out of the kitchen and marched into the
bedroom….
Where a basket of clothes waited to be folded…not to
mention a pile on the floor.
Now, his eyebrows arched up in surprise, and he
walked out of the bedroom, into the family room,
where he noted absently that it had *not* been
dusted, and back into the kitchen…where Usagi
continued to ignore him.
"Ano…Usa-ko…sweetheart…" His voice sounded
faintly amused to her, but she knew that if she pushed
him a bit more, his temper would erupt…which was
exactly what she wanted.
"Hai, Mamo-chan?" she tilted her head to the side,
blond streams of hair falling over her shoulder. "Is
there something you need?" She held up a cherry to
him. "Would you like one?"
His eyes darkened as he strode next to her, crouching
down next to her chair, and took the cherry into his
mouth…directly from her fingers.
Her eyes opened wide as she felt his tongue briefly
lick the tips of her fingers. She made a move to pull
back her hands, but his wrist held hers in a lock she
could not break out of.
"Now suppose," he said, voice a whisper, "you tell
me what's going on?"
She barely suppressed a grin. "Whatever do you
mean, Mamo-chan?"
He winced- the sweetness of her voice
was…well…nauseatingly sick. "The dishes in the
sink…the unfolded clothes…the not-dusted
rooms…" He arched an eyebrow at her, gently
kissing the palm of her hand. "An explanation is
needed, if you don't mind."
"Oh, but I do mind," she shot back, pulling her hand
away.
"I'd like to know, anyway," he said, mouth curving
upwards.
She stared at his mouth…his perfect lips…that she
loved…to…kiss…Involuntarily, she felt herself
being drawn to him…and just as their mouths were
about to touch, she saw the yearning in his eyes to be
kissed…so she stopped herself and pulled away.
And nearly burst out laughing at the expression on
his face.
"I'm angry," she stated.
"I can see that."
She glared at him. "Would you like to know why?"
His hand traced the curve of her face. "Go ahead and
tell me."
Her eyes narrowed into slits as she grabbed his hand
and firmly placed it by his side, not wanting to be
distracted by his feathery touches. "I'm *angry*
because I am *tired* of doing *all* of the household
chores—Iie." She corrected herself. "I don't mind
doing them…but I'm *sick* of doing them the way
you tell me to."
She stood up and walked to sink.
"Observe, Mamo-chan," she said. "I used to wash the
dishes in a way that *I* was used to. But after we
were married, you *told* me to do them your way.
And when I asked why, you said because it was for
the sake of cleanliness. And I'm *tired* of doing it
that way- I want to go back to doing it the way I was
before we were married."
"Usa-ko, I told you to-"
"Save it, Mamo-chan. Follow me." She walked out of
the room and he stood up from his crouched position
and followed her into family room.
"Observe, Mamo-chan," she said again. "I used to
dust the rooms by using a simple duster. But after we
were married, you *told* me to dust your way, by
using a rag and wood polisher. When I asked why,
you said it was for the sake of cleanliness. 'A duster,'
you said, 'was unsanitary and useless, because the
dust would fly through the room and re-land on
different objects.'" She pursed her lips and threw the
duster at him with as much force as she could put
behind it.
He caught it, and she saw the dangerous gleam in his
eyes…and she noted the muscle straining under his
neck.
"I don't want to do it that way anymore, Mamo-chan.
If you expect me to clean for you and play house,
then dammit, it will be by my own way!"
"Usa-ko," he said, voice silken, making her very
aware of how angry he was, "you don't seem to-"
"Tsk tsk," she said, reveling in the power she had
over him. "I wasn't finished yet. Follow me," she
continued, walking into the bedroom.
"Observe, Mamo-chan," Usagi said, repeating the
words that he was growing tired of hearing. "I used to
fold clothes in a much simpler way, and a way that I
was used to. But after we were married, you *told*
me to fold your way, by making a bunch of silly
creases in the sleeves, and folding and crossing the
sleeves in whichever way it was. When I asked you
way, you said that you were used to your clothes
being that way. But what I have trouble
understanding," Usagi spat out, "is *why* is it that if
*you* are used to the way *you* used to fold, why
am *I* doing it?! Fold your own damn clothes!" She
bent down and grabbed a few shirts and threw them
at him, wincing when he didn't even duck.
He watched her from under the clothes that had
showered upon his head.
"Usa-ko."
It was then she knew that she had gone too far.
And it was also then she started to try walk around
him and get out the door.
And it was also then he brushed off the clothes that
had landed on his body…and turned around and
locked the door.
He stalked over to the bed that had the clothes she
had folded neatly on it…and used his arm and swiped
it all to the floor. He walked back to her, grabbed her
arms, and bent his head, kissing her with a force that
left her breathless when he finally let her go.
"Mamo…Mamo-chan?" she said, chest heaving.
"What are you-"
"You could have just *told* me, Usa-ko. You could
have just *told* me you didn't like washing the
dishes the way I told you. You can have *told* me
you didn't want to dust the way I had told you to."
Gently, he laid her on the bed, kissing up and down
the length of her neck. "You can have just *told*
me," he said, breath warm on her chest, "that you
didn't want to fold the clothes the way I had told you
to."
She looked away, unable to meet his eyes.
"Demo…Mamo-chan…I felt like you were just
ordering me around…like I was some sort of puppet
on a string…I know that you were alone for so long,
but…sometimes, change is good." She reached up
and kissed him on his forehead. "Are we done being
angry now?" she asked him, twirling a lock of her
hair in an innocent gesture.
He grinned lecherously at her, making her breath
halt. "I have some of that energy from being angry,
pent inside of me." He kissed her cheek gently and
then looked into her eyes. "What about you?"
She giggled. "Me too, Mamo-chan."
He smiled invitingly at her, and moved her body
until her head was upon a fluffy white pillow.
"Then why don't we put it to good use?"
*
E-mail me...onegai? ^^
leluh16@yahoo.com
Household Chores
By: Lelu
leluh16@yahoo.com
PG
[Insert Standard Disclaimer]
Sighing, she folded the sleeves on the shirt over the
other and neatly creased the edges. Putting the shirt
on a spot of the bed that was not already occupied by
the other shirts, she grabbed the next shirt and
proceeded to fold it…but messed up and threw it to
the side. Wearily, she pushed a strand of golden hair
out of her face, glancing uneasily at the next
basketful of clothing that still needed to be folded.
"Why can't men fold their own damn clothes?!" she
exclaimed at the air, blue eyes rolling in frustration.
It had been a month since she and Mamoru had
wed…and although there were *many* *many*
benefits, she thought, of marriage…there also came
many responsibilities.
'Like washing the dishes…folding clothes…cleaning
the house from top to bottom…cooking…making
sure everything is in order…washing the
dishes…washing the dishes…'
"Damn!" the expletive burst from her pink mouth, a
word that one would never expect to hear from this
angel…this angel that could be quite demonic if she
wished to be. "I still have to wash the dishes…" She
glanced at the pile of clothes that lay on the floor and
then at the clothes that were still in the basket,
begging to be folded.
Now, she reasoned, folding the clothes wasn't so bad
of a task…She had done that chore since she had
been 6 years old, and now that she was 21, she was,
practically, an expert of the folding-of-the-clothes
process. She could have been finished folding those
two piles of clothes in about 10 minutes, less, if she
really wanted to hurry.
But Mamoru…he had his 'own way' of folding the
clothes…a completely opposite way of folding that
she had been practicing for the past 15 years. And if
the clothes weren't folded in *his* own specific way,
she would have to listen and watch another one of his
lectures of how the art of clothes-folding was done.
And she did *not* need to listen to it for the…what
was it? She glanced at the tablet of paper on the
desk…for the 48th time.
She took one last glance at the clothes and slowly
began to back out of the room. 'I can finish
later…before Mamo-chan comes home and finds out
the clothes aren't *all* folded like they're supposed
to be…' She turned and zipped out of the bedroom,
heading for the kitchen area.
She looked at the pile of dishes in the sink and nearly
fainted in surprise…and anger.
"I don't care if he *is* a certified doctor, or
whatever! MEN should do some of the housework!
Just because I don't have a job doesn't mean I have
all this free time to do this!" She glared angrily at the
dishes, wishing they would come to life so she could
then murder the objects.
Sighing, she grabbed the yellow rubber gloves - 'I
*hate* these rubber gloves!' - and pulled them on,
yanking them roughly over her hands and onto her
arms. She turned on the cold and hot water, picked up
the sponge, squeezed some soap onto it, and then
proceeded to wash each dish, one at a time.
'Another stupid way to wash the dishes…I used to
just turn on the water and let the water run until it
nearly filled the sink—easier, I think, than this way.
But nooo…Mamo-chan nearly had a heart attack
when he saw me do it the first time…*he* said it was
more sanitary to do it this way…'
She growled in the back of her throat, but grit her
teeth, and continued to wash the dishes…one by one
by one.
*
The door slammed shut and the sounds of whistling
proceeded the body. Mamoru walked into the family
room and looked around, surprised when he didn't
hear the welcoming voice of his wife.
"Usa-ko?" he called out. "Usa-ko…where are you?"
His eyebrows drew together. 'Where are you?'
He walked into the kitchen…and was very disturbed
by what he saw- there she was, feet propped up on
the table- 'Usa-ko,' he inwardly cringed, 'that's *so*
unsanitary!' -, reading a magazine and popping
cherries into her mouth. His glance fell by the
sink…which still had dishes filled in it, waiting to be
cleaned.
His eyes opened wide in surprise. Without words, he
spun out of the kitchen and marched into the
bedroom….
Where a basket of clothes waited to be folded…not to
mention a pile on the floor.
Now, his eyebrows arched up in surprise, and he
walked out of the bedroom, into the family room,
where he noted absently that it had *not* been
dusted, and back into the kitchen…where Usagi
continued to ignore him.
"Ano…Usa-ko…sweetheart…" His voice sounded
faintly amused to her, but she knew that if she pushed
him a bit more, his temper would erupt…which was
exactly what she wanted.
"Hai, Mamo-chan?" she tilted her head to the side,
blond streams of hair falling over her shoulder. "Is
there something you need?" She held up a cherry to
him. "Would you like one?"
His eyes darkened as he strode next to her, crouching
down next to her chair, and took the cherry into his
mouth…directly from her fingers.
Her eyes opened wide as she felt his tongue briefly
lick the tips of her fingers. She made a move to pull
back her hands, but his wrist held hers in a lock she
could not break out of.
"Now suppose," he said, voice a whisper, "you tell
me what's going on?"
She barely suppressed a grin. "Whatever do you
mean, Mamo-chan?"
He winced- the sweetness of her voice
was…well…nauseatingly sick. "The dishes in the
sink…the unfolded clothes…the not-dusted
rooms…" He arched an eyebrow at her, gently
kissing the palm of her hand. "An explanation is
needed, if you don't mind."
"Oh, but I do mind," she shot back, pulling her hand
away.
"I'd like to know, anyway," he said, mouth curving
upwards.
She stared at his mouth…his perfect lips…that she
loved…to…kiss…Involuntarily, she felt herself
being drawn to him…and just as their mouths were
about to touch, she saw the yearning in his eyes to be
kissed…so she stopped herself and pulled away.
And nearly burst out laughing at the expression on
his face.
"I'm angry," she stated.
"I can see that."
She glared at him. "Would you like to know why?"
His hand traced the curve of her face. "Go ahead and
tell me."
Her eyes narrowed into slits as she grabbed his hand
and firmly placed it by his side, not wanting to be
distracted by his feathery touches. "I'm *angry*
because I am *tired* of doing *all* of the household
chores—Iie." She corrected herself. "I don't mind
doing them…but I'm *sick* of doing them the way
you tell me to."
She stood up and walked to sink.
"Observe, Mamo-chan," she said. "I used to wash the
dishes in a way that *I* was used to. But after we
were married, you *told* me to do them your way.
And when I asked why, you said because it was for
the sake of cleanliness. And I'm *tired* of doing it
that way- I want to go back to doing it the way I was
before we were married."
"Usa-ko, I told you to-"
"Save it, Mamo-chan. Follow me." She walked out of
the room and he stood up from his crouched position
and followed her into family room.
"Observe, Mamo-chan," she said again. "I used to
dust the rooms by using a simple duster. But after we
were married, you *told* me to dust your way, by
using a rag and wood polisher. When I asked why,
you said it was for the sake of cleanliness. 'A duster,'
you said, 'was unsanitary and useless, because the
dust would fly through the room and re-land on
different objects.'" She pursed her lips and threw the
duster at him with as much force as she could put
behind it.
He caught it, and she saw the dangerous gleam in his
eyes…and she noted the muscle straining under his
neck.
"I don't want to do it that way anymore, Mamo-chan.
If you expect me to clean for you and play house,
then dammit, it will be by my own way!"
"Usa-ko," he said, voice silken, making her very
aware of how angry he was, "you don't seem to-"
"Tsk tsk," she said, reveling in the power she had
over him. "I wasn't finished yet. Follow me," she
continued, walking into the bedroom.
"Observe, Mamo-chan," Usagi said, repeating the
words that he was growing tired of hearing. "I used to
fold clothes in a much simpler way, and a way that I
was used to. But after we were married, you *told*
me to fold your way, by making a bunch of silly
creases in the sleeves, and folding and crossing the
sleeves in whichever way it was. When I asked you
way, you said that you were used to your clothes
being that way. But what I have trouble
understanding," Usagi spat out, "is *why* is it that if
*you* are used to the way *you* used to fold, why
am *I* doing it?! Fold your own damn clothes!" She
bent down and grabbed a few shirts and threw them
at him, wincing when he didn't even duck.
He watched her from under the clothes that had
showered upon his head.
"Usa-ko."
It was then she knew that she had gone too far.
And it was also then she started to try walk around
him and get out the door.
And it was also then he brushed off the clothes that
had landed on his body…and turned around and
locked the door.
He stalked over to the bed that had the clothes she
had folded neatly on it…and used his arm and swiped
it all to the floor. He walked back to her, grabbed her
arms, and bent his head, kissing her with a force that
left her breathless when he finally let her go.
"Mamo…Mamo-chan?" she said, chest heaving.
"What are you-"
"You could have just *told* me, Usa-ko. You could
have just *told* me you didn't like washing the
dishes the way I told you. You can have *told* me
you didn't want to dust the way I had told you to."
Gently, he laid her on the bed, kissing up and down
the length of her neck. "You can have just *told*
me," he said, breath warm on her chest, "that you
didn't want to fold the clothes the way I had told you
to."
She looked away, unable to meet his eyes.
"Demo…Mamo-chan…I felt like you were just
ordering me around…like I was some sort of puppet
on a string…I know that you were alone for so long,
but…sometimes, change is good." She reached up
and kissed him on his forehead. "Are we done being
angry now?" she asked him, twirling a lock of her
hair in an innocent gesture.
He grinned lecherously at her, making her breath
halt. "I have some of that energy from being angry,
pent inside of me." He kissed her cheek gently and
then looked into her eyes. "What about you?"
She giggled. "Me too, Mamo-chan."
He smiled invitingly at her, and moved her body
until her head was upon a fluffy white pillow.
"Then why don't we put it to good use?"
*
E-mail me...onegai? ^^
leluh16@yahoo.com