The Fabric Softner

Mom did everything for Dad. When he got out of work at 4:30 is dinner was on the table. He would walk in the door wash his hands and we were all at the dinner table and then mom serve dinner. If she forgot the salt or the pepper or maybe the butter knife dad would say something and mom jump up out of her chair and fetched whatever was needed.

 Mom was happy to do things for dad and there was never a complaint never a sigh  or any  negativity within her. She was happy to please him in every way. Mom even ironed his hankies and the sheets. Even his work clothes. Dad was a truck driver. Hi clothes were not fancy by all means. He was happy as a truck driver for 46 years.

After mom passed away that had its do the chores by him. Sure sis and I would go over and run the vacuum around do some dusting and make dinner occasionally so dad was well taken care of pretty much. I stopped by one Saturday afternoon to check on dad to see what he was up to. Dad was in the living Room just relaxing he made a comment to me and said he understood why mom didn’t like to do laundry so much as it is a lot of work and I chuckled an agreed. Then we move the conversation on how the garden was going along, his beehives and his greenhouses. He had for greenhouses in the back 17 beehives and an enormous vegetable garden not to mention several raised flower beds and. These kept him quite busy.

 Next Saturday I stop by dads and he was standing at the wash machine and I in a nice polite voice” what are you doing”? And he said in a serious tone “I’m waiting to put the fabric softener in”.  I said “oh when do you do that”? Dad continued to explain to me the proper way to do laundry. “This is how you do laundry you fill up the machine with the correct of water temperature then you had the laundry detergent then you have to agitate it to make sure there's enough bubbles then you add your laundry”. He explained to me as if he were an expert. “You don't add the clothes until there's enough bubbles and you add them slowly”. I began to chuckle a little bit I saw the bubbles and asked if he was ready to add the clothes. He was certain and said in another minute.

 OK so I waited, it’s hard to tell dad that he’s wrong and you're right so I continued to go along with this. Well the time was right dad's slowly added his clothes he also explained to me that you don't mix white clothes with his working clothes. He explained why clothes get washed separately and you need to add a little bit of bleach to the whites. I nodded my head as to agree. I asked dad if he wanted to sit in the kitchen and get coffee and chat a while. Dad said very in a truly genuine voice “no! I have to wait for the fabric softener. He continued to explain about the right moment to add the fabric softener as the washing machine lid was up and the clothes were agitating with the bubbles. He closed the lid.

He was concerned,  then I started to really laugh which upset dad a little bit I said dad you see the whole as I lifted up the lid on the washer  and pointed to the fabric softener dispenser. I said “that's for fabric softener”. I explained to him you are that fabric softener goes in here and then the machine automatically dispenses the fabric softener at the right time. Oh my goodness you should have seen the expression a dad's face he said he stood here this entire time just waiting for the fabric softener every time he did laundry. He was astonished.

Then I explained to dad a different way he can start doing laundry and that was to put the clothes in the wash machine and filling the water and add the laundry detergent and the fabric softener. He could walk away from machine and didn’t have to stand there the entire time.

The following week I stopped by again and dad asked why mom didn’t like doing the laundry. I explained it. There were six children and dad. Mom did everything in the house while dad worked. She didn’t mind so much. Laundry, well that was a different story. She ironed all those hankies, sheets and all his work clothes. Mom was meticulous on how things were folded, never a wrinkle and put a way.  

Six years later dad and I sit in his kitchen and have good laugh about that day. When his granddaughter turned 8 he explained the proper way to operate a washing machine. She looked dumbfounded when he explained. I guess you just had to be there