The extended Oliver family have just finished Christmas lunch. Host, Nadine, 52, has single-handedly put on the event and is in the kitchen surrounded by dishes. Nadine’s second-cousin Carla, 26, has made a half-hearted attempt to clear the table and now plans to drop the dishes off and head straight back to the table in time for the host to put out the pav.
Carla said, “It’s the right thing to do considering how much work Nadine has done today. She hasn’t even eaten her lunch yet. Plus, a big public gesture like clearing the plates is the best way for everyone to see that you’ve helped, but without having to help so much you miss out on having fun.”
Yet when Carla asked the stressed-to-the-max host where she should put the dirty dishes, she was not expecting what came next. Nadine suggested she put them in the dishwasher.
A visibly shaken Carla told Babbler, “I thought she’d say ‘Just put them on the bench.’ I’m still in shock. Thankfully, the dishwasher was full. But as I cleared a space to put them down, Nadine dropped another bombshell.”
Nadine suggested that Carla handwash them instead. They are now stuck in a battle of wills, neither willing to do the dishes.
Carla is fuming, “Why am I being punished? I’m the good one. All the other cousins are still at the table having fun. I literally carried five really heavy plates from the table to the kitchen. It was gross but I did it anyway. I even picked up a napkin that had been used. She set me up!”
Carla snuck out of the kitchen when Nadine served the pavlova. Nadine still hasn’t had a chance to eat lunch.
