Tuesday, August 10, 2010

The Guilt Trip in a Nutshell

My little family recently had the vast and undeniable pleasure of being secluded in the middle of nowhere, in a tiny cabin, with no recognizable escape, with my mother – The Walking Guilt Trip, and my brother – The Mooch. Now, to clarify, this is a family “reunion” of sorts – in which the brother who lives with me, and the mother who lives 4 miles from me are confined to even smaller quarters, while the sister who lives 3000 miles away and therefore might be enjoyable to see for at least 57 seconds has backed out.

For my part of the duties while isolated in the wilderness with said loving relations, I had the joy and pleasure of doing something completely new and exciting. Cooking. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. New. And exciting. Don’t get me wrong, I love cooking. It’s just, you know…vacation… (please add sufficiently annoying whiny voice.)

Standing in the kitchen while the chitlins splashed and played in the lake and on the boats, I slaved away at yet another meal.

The Walking Guilt Trip, needing to pee, enters said kitchen through the side deck door. Perhaps some of her own guilt trippage slipped into her beverage that morning, because on return to the fun area of life, she asks, “Could I help with anything?” While her swimsuit drips on my toes.

This is quite an unusual offering. I internally debate my options. Deny her and be made to feel ungrateful for everything she has offered and provided throughout the years? Or accept and have to hear how she “helped cook” all week, and probably all year, long? I chose the latter.

There’s some bacon to crumble and chives to chop over there if you want. Otherwise, I think I’m fine.”

She stares at me with that blank stare of hers while I pretend to ignore her and contentedly cut my tomatoes.

Without a word, she walks off and organizes her stuff in the living room.

When she returns, she watches me put my cute little tomato cubes on bread slices for a minute or two. “Do you need help with that?”

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