Below it she listed a few simple tasks.
- Water flower beds
- Help prepare lunch
- Wipe porch furniture
- Sweep kitchen floor
- Feed chickens
Nothing unreasonable.
Nothing difficult.
Just the sort of things family members naturally help with when visiting.
Then she went about her day.
At breakfast, Susan noticed the board.
At first she simply stared.
Then she laughed.
“Oh, that's cute.”
My mother smiled.
“I thought it might help.”
Susan continued reading.
The smile disappeared.
“What is this?”
“A list of things that need doing.”
Susan frowned.
“Why is my name beside them?”
“Because you're here every weekend.”
The room became quiet.
Even my husband stopped eating.
Susan looked around as though someone else might explain.
Nobody did.
Finally she pointed at the board.
“You expect me to work while I'm here?”
My mother answered calmly.
“I expect everyone to help a little.”
The conversation ended there.
At least temporarily.
But the atmosphere changed immediately.
For the rest of the morning Susan barely spoke.
She wandered around the house looking irritated.
Every so often she glanced at the board.
It seemed to bother her far more than it should have.
By afternoon she finally exploded.
“I don't understand why this is necessary.”
My mother looked up from a book.
“Because maintaining a property takes work.”
“But I'm a guest.”
The response came instantly.
“So are all our other guests.”
Susan folded her arms.
“Then why don't they have chores?”
My mother smiled slightly.
“They help without being asked.”
That answer landed harder than anything else could have.
For a moment Susan had no response.
Then she stood up and walked outside.
The screen door slammed behind her.
Nobody followed.
Nobody apologized.
Nobody removed the board.
And for the first time in years, Susan encountered something she wasn't used to hearing.
No.
The rest of the weekend felt strangely tense.
Susan completed none of the tasks.
Instead she spent most of her time sitting alone on the porch.
Occasionally she would make passive-aggressive comments.