I don't like housework. I can think of so many more interesting things that I could be doing. Why would I decide to sweep the floors or dust the shelves when I could be enjoying myself instead? For my whole life I've scraped by on the minimum amount of work I can get away with. Things have changed a bit since I've met Tarrlok. It was irritating at first to see him following behind me and cleaning up my clutter and little messes, but I managed not to argue with him about it. The annoyance has faded with time. It's strange, but he doesn't do it to prod me into doing things myself. It's just that he takes quiet pleasure in the monotony of the housework.
I tend to leave dishes piled in the sink until I've run out of clean plates to eat on. It's a familiar routine. Three days until I need to wash dishes. Two days, one day, then I scrub away at the pots, bowls, and plates until everything's clean and put away and waiting for me to need it again. Tarrlok does things differently. As soon as he's finished with his dinner, he's heads straight for the sink to carefully wash and dry all of the day's dishes. My first instinct is to tell him not to bother because we don't have to clean anything for days, but that urge fades as I watch him. He stands there with his head down and his eyes half-closed. I can see tension drain from his shoulders while he scrubs and he hums to himself as he relaxes into the needs of the work.
It's like that with all the small household tasks. He actually enjoys the little tedious jobs that only annoy me. I don't understand how he can take pleasure in them, but I do like watching him as he works. I am so glad that I never snapped at him for doing the chores because I would feel awful now about getting angry over something he likes. It is good that he enjoys housework when I dislike it so much. If he had to live in a house as cluttered as I would leave it would definitely bother him. This is a good arrangement. He likes doing chores and I like watching him do chores. While he moves quietly around the room straightening the books on the shelf and putting away misplaced knickknacks, I lie on the couch and close my eyes to listen to the small sounds of housework. When he finishes and sits beside me, I look up at him and we both smile.