TheBanyanTree: Jane's Project

[Theta]

Maria told us about her wonderful shopping trip with Jane and concluded 
"She's a treasure and has been a good friend to Allen."  It's a great thing 
when these connections are made.   I was reminded of an episode that 
Maggie, Darling Daughter the Elder, had in her high school career.   She 
was at a guy friend's house (that's as opposed to 'boyfriend' - she had 
multiple guy friends, most of whom ate dinner with us several times a week) 
and the young man came out of his bedroom whining to his mother that he had 
no clean laundry.

Maggie reacted with shock and horror.  "What?  You still do his 
laundry?  That's terrible!  He's going to get married to some poor girl and 
expect her to do his laundry the rest of his life!"  She grabbed his arm 
and marched him to the laundry room, firmly announcing that he was going to 
learn how to do his own wash.  She made him write down the instructions for 
the machine and watched him go through all the steps.  Then she instructed 
the boy's mother that she was never to do his wash again, and if he wanted 
things ironed, she had to teach him how to do to that, too, "one time!"

I heard the story from the boy's mom, who called me laughing about it.  She 
said her husband had observed all this with awe and some trepidation.  He 
said he was glad he wasn't a teenage boy who had to learn how to do his own 
laundry, and Maggie had patted him on the arm and in syrupy tones told him 
that it was never too late to learn a new skill.  The mom said that Maggie 
was her hero, and even years later, every time I see her, she laughs about 
the laundry lesson.

Yeah, I like teenagers, too.

Theta