After he had been working for a while, he hollered, “Honey, will you please come here and help me with something?”
I forthwith appeared obediently in the bathroom, curious as to what sort of Important Plumbing Task I might be entrusted with.
As it turned out, Steve had disconnected the sink trap, which is the elbow-y looking thing that can be found under a sink.
From my (limited) understanding, a sink trap somehow keeps sewer gases from seeping back up into the house and also collects yucky water consisting of tooth brushing spit and other assorted, um, stuff. (I trust I am not being too technical for you.)
That basically means that the water in a sink trap would not, by any stretch of the imagination, be described as pristine,
Also, as it turns out, when a sink trap is removed, it has to be held carefully upright because a good bit of the aforementioned icky water will remain in the trap.
And so. When Steve called so plaintively for my help, it was because he was lying under the sink on his back like this . . .
and was carefully holding the plastic elbow thingie in the widely prescribed upright manner.
As I bent down to take the sink trap from him, he proceeded to instruct me in the most husbandly tones, “Becky, just take this trap over to the toilet, dump out the water, and bring it back to me.”
I carefully retrieved it from his outstretched hands while thinking to myself, “Hmmm. It appears as though Steve isn’t thinking very clearly right now. Otherwise, why would he tell me to walk all the way across the bathroom to dump out nasty water when there is a perfectly good sink right here in front of me?”
And so, feeling especially pleased with myself for being so efficient and proactive in my Plumber’s Assistant Career, I leaned forward and happily dumped that nasty, slimy water right down the drain. As I did so, I asked, “Steve, why would you want me to walk over and dump this in the toilet when there is a sink right here in front of . . . .“
Then I trailed off miserably and said, “Oh. Right.”
There was absolute silence in the bathroom for about five seconds. Well, I should say that there was silence except for the squelchy sounds of my hapless husband’s head squishing around in the depths of the water he’d been so recently baptized in.
And then? After the silence?
There were five minutes of hysterical laughter.
Those were followed by me asking my patient partner-in-plumbing, “Does that mean that I’m fired as your assistant?”
And I’m sad to report that I really was fired. Sort of.
However, it appears to me that firing no longer means what it used to mean back in the day. Because somehow, even in my Officially Fired State, I was still summoned throughout the day by Mr. Plumber to hand him things or hold things while he worked on various, mysterious projects.
So what’s a girl gotta do around here to get herself fired for real? I mean, look at my working conditions! I have to share space with a man who spends his time pretending that the old faucet paraphernalia is growing out of his nose?
Sigh.
Oh well. I still think I’ll keep him. He doesn’t eat much, and he’s really good at helping around the house. 
That sink story has me howling with laughter every time I think about it, ever since you first wrote about it. I can relate so much even though I, THANKFULLY, haven’t done something that bad to my husband before. I DO do stuff like that quite often to myself. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Lizz,
Glad you enjoyed the rerun of the Sink Story!
It’s one of those stories that gets funnier over the years. And yes, I also get myself into those predicaments very well on my own!
Love the Hooty-Hoot song! Happy Birthdays to all! What a special gathering!
I remember that story about the sink, and have thought about it when I’ve cleaned out our plumbing. When we moved into our house 5 years ago, I knew there had been a couple of young girls with very long hair. Need I say more? While a very gross job, I find it very rewarding to run a “snake” down drains and clear out all the gunk. I would NEVER go as far as taking pipes apart, but I can do the simple stuff.
I like tackling projects. I’m not great at it, but try. This week I installed some blinds in my husband’s home office. He was out of town, so I could take my time. Lots of YouTube videos, and advice from the local hardware store, and I got it done! It took me 2 hours to get the first blind in, then 10 minutes on the second one!
As for gatherings, I remember my great-aunt saying, “There’s always room at the table.” That’s how I feel. My mom would often stress at all the work put into cooking, then the time to clean it all up. I tend to keep things on the simpler side. If feeding more last minute, it’s not beyond me to grab a box of Stove Top Stuffing and toss that in! This year, my nearby elder dad and in-laws are dealing with health issues. All our kids are elsewhere for Thanksgiving. My husband and I are staying local, and flexible to make sure the “old folks” have some visitors.
I’m thankful for your writing, Becky. I hope you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Ann,
Good for you for hanging blinds! I would never have the courage to tackle such a task. I’m sure your husband was impressed when he got home. (And hooray for YouTube videos–a true lifesaver.)
I don’t think we’ve ever used a snake in a sink; maybe if Steve got one of those, he wouldn’t dread the job so much. Sounds like a snake has worked well for you guys.
I love your great-aunt saying that there is always room at the table and that you inherited that mindset. You are women after my own heart. I know your older members of your family will appreciate having viitors on Thanksgiving; nice of you and your husband to stay local and flexible!
Thanks for your encouragement about my writing; I always appreciate words like that. Blessings.
That’s some funny stuff!
Steve,
Sure is!
I’m usually the helper with any projects around the house. I chuckled out loud as I figured out where you were going with your story…I don’t remember doing anything similar, but wouldn’t put it past me. My youngest daughter sometimes invites friends for Thanksigving who do not have family nearby…the more the merrier! We enjoy cooking together that Wednesday as well as Thanksgiving Day.
I’ve seen the ICE issues in Charlotte on the news and thought of you & your family. Prayers for that situation and that you all stay safe. Have a wonderful week!
Sue Ellen,
I liked your line, “I wouldn’t put it past me.” I have felt that way more than once!
So glad to hear you welcome your daughter’s friends over who don’t have family near. That will make a memory for them for a lifetime.
Appreciate your prayers over this tense week in Charlotte.
Becky, I’m pretty sure I have done the exact same thing! Despite the fact that my husband and I tag-team repairs and trade off depending on who has time, I still make the silliest mistakes. I once sawed right through the top of the workbench I had just built. I had a good laugh about that as soon as I made sure it was still structurally sound!
We often have non-family attendees at Thanksgiving. We call them “strays” (with all the love in the world). I once walked around a family Thanksgiving asking all of my family members who the guy in the corner was. No one knew, but since we were in a house pretty far out in the boonies, we figured that even if no one knew him, he was probably hungry and deserved a meal. It turned out he was a friend of my cousin’s half brother. 😄
Robin,
I can’t imagine how you felt in the first few seconds after realizing you had sawed through the top of the workbench! Glad you were able to laugh about it. And must say I’m impressed that you were even able to build a workbench! Definitely not one of my skills.
Loved the story about the guy showing up and no one knew who he was. A friend of a cousin’s half brother is so funny; nothing like someone on the very edges of the family tree to show up. Glad you were able to feel him and make him feel a part of things.
I was laughing at your plumbing fumble. It does make perfect sense to use the sink in front of you. I don’t think my husband would have been as forgiving. I am asked to help only on occasion.
I don’t think I remember any fixing errors that we have laughed at, but I see plenty of “senior moments” that have us both laughing.
We have not done a Thanksgiving dinner for those who have no where else to go, but have done some Easters.
Have a Blessed Thanksgiving
Patti,
I know, right? There’s the sink. Right. There.
Yes, those senior moments seem to come with more frequency with every birthday. Glad you and your husband can laugh about those things together.
I’m sure you’ve made some happy memories for your Easter meal attendees; it must have meant so much for them to be invited.
Most of my home repairs are done by someone else, especially since I don’t have a spouse.
I was on the receiving end of an invitation to Thanksgiving dinner last year. My parents had both passed earlier in the year and the daughter-in-law of a longtime friend invited me to their family dinner. My friend’s granddaughter is actually my hair stylist. I worked with my friend back in the 80s/90s and we have always stayed in touch. I took sweet potato casserole and was told that I had to always bring it. Her son has already invited me this year. There should be 21 people this year. My friend is 18 years older than me, so her kids are just a little younger than me.
Phyllis,
Must be nice to become famous for your sweet potato casserole after bringing it just one time. I’m glad you had such a welcoming, fun group of folks to spend Thanksgiving with.
I love the Hooty hoot song!! 😀How fun!
I always end up helping with projects and have done a multitude of them on my own as well. NOT plumbing though! Jeff gets those or we call in the professionals.
Over the years, we’ve remodeled an entire house and added on two bedrooms and a garage. So many projects didn’t go right but I don’t think we can top your story! 😉
LeeAnne,
Good for you for doing “multitudes of projects” on your own! I can’t even imagine knowing how to do that; tools and building skills are not high on my aptitude list. It’s nice that it’s something you and your husband can do together.