(SHEILA re-enters carrying snacks)
SHEILA
Your turn for what?
(JAMIE and KATIE look at each other intensely)
What are you up to?
KATIE
My turn to do the dishes!
JAMIE
Hey!
(KATIE EXITS to the kitchen, sticking her tongue out at
JAMIE)
SHEILA
Wow, I’ve never had anyone who argued over doing the dishes
in this household. In fact, when Sutton and I were newlyweds, I got him that
magnet on the fridge.
JAMIE
Oh yeah, classy.
SHEILA
He thought it was funny. I’d just point to it when fed up
with the stack and then he’d pitch in and do a load.
JAMIE
What does it say, exactly?
SHEILA
No woman ever shot a man while he was doing the dishes.
JAMIE
He would think that was funny.
SHEILA
I thought it was funny that all I had to do was point at it,
but the mountain of dishes in the sink didn’t seem to motivate him or anyone
else, for that matter. I’m still trying to teach Sammy how to wash dishes or cook, or clean.
JAMIE
Yeah. How’s that going? When he was younger, he wouldn’t
touch anything slimy or …
SHEILA
It’s not. I’ve tried rubber gloves or plastic gloves, but he
won’t wear them. He doesn’t mind gardening gloves and digging in the dirt
outside as long as the dirt is dry and not sticky but food on plates, forget
it!
JAMIE
And the smells.
SHEILA
Yeah, that overwhelms him, so dishes are still a non-starter
with him. We’re working on it in therapy.
JAMIE
You do dishes in therapy?
SHEILA
Yes, and anything else he needs to work on to function.
JAMIE
What about emotional stuff? I thought that was what therapy was
for.
SHEILA
It is, but he’ll work on other stuff too, as long as we go
somewhere besides here or his therapist can come here and work with him.
JAMIE
That’s got to be expensive!
SHEILA
It is, but worth it.
JAMIE
Really, when he still can’t do the dishes.
SHEILA
You don’t get it. We… he is closer than he’s ever been to
being able to do it and that’s progress.
JAMIE
Speaking of progress and Sammy, what is going to happen with
him?
SHEILA
What do you mean?
JAMIE
Wasn’t Sutton the main caretaker?
SHEILA
No. We both were…are… Sammy can do a lot of things on his own.
JAMIE
Sure. Sure.
SHEILA
He gets up, rides the bus, gets to work and back on his own.
JAMIE
He does?
SHEILA
Yes. He has for a year now.
JAMIE
That’s great! I thought Sutton was driving him in.
SHEILA
No. Occasionally. He liked to sometimes when things were
slow, he’d take him in because he talks more in the car. It was their time to
talk about something besides birds or weather. He could ask him things in the
car and he’d answer.
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