A Man Came Home From Work

A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still in their pyjamas, playing in

the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard. The door of his

wife’s car was open, as was the front door to the house and there was no sign of the dog.

Proceeding into the entry, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw

rug was wadded against one wall. In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel, and

the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing. In the kitchen, dishes filled

the sink, breakfast food was spilt on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilt

on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back

door. He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his

wife. He was worried she might be ill, or that something serious had happened. He was met with a

small trickle of water as it made its way out the bathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet

towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and

toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls. As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his

wife still curled up in the bed in her pyjamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and

asked how his day went. He looked at her bewildered and asked, ‘What happened here today?’ She

again smiled and answered, “You know every day when you come home from work and you ask me what in

the world I do all day?” “Yes,” was his incredulous reply. She answered, “Well, today I

didn’t do it.”