At about the same time, Mom decided that drying the evening dishes would be added to my list of chores. So most evenings after dinner she washed, I dried, and we chatted. Looking back, I see the chats were clever interrogations.
These sink-side discussions covered topics like friends, neighbors, family, school, girls, and plans for the future.
More chores were piled on; stuff like personal laundry and cooking. Needless to say I escaped most of this by crafty scheduling and slight miss representations, exiting with only survival skills.
Later, recalling those discussions, I realized her design. Mom openly admitted, " I won't raise a helpless man."
