That’s Alot of Dishes

I stayed at a buddy's place this past Saturday night. This weekend I realized how I need more people like him in my life, and in the world in general. He is a very smart guy, but has managed to hide it behind a mild speech impediment and a complete and utter lack of guile. I'd like to relate a story of something that transpired this past Sunday.

He, his fiancee, and I were sitting around in the kitchen when she got up and drew some water in the sink to start doing the dishes. I believe there were approximately 3 clean dishes at the start of the endeavor, most of them having been dirtied when company came over the night before for an impromptu dinner party and drinks. In fact, they had done all the dishes just two days earlier. The only indication of his fiancee's intentions, aside from filling up the sink, was her instruction that "she will need some help drying when she gets to the glasses." And without another word she has begun submerging the first round of a stack of dirty dishes nearly as tall as her. It is about a half hour later and the first thing my friend says once he finds out that it's time grab a towel and help out is, "Wow, Babe. I thought that was going to take you all afternoon."

There are alot of things that one would expect that sentence to mean. It could mean that his opinion of her was low enough that she was able to surprise him with her merely by completing the dishes quickly. It could mean that he was disappointed that his time hanging out with his buddy (me) was cut short by annoying domestic work. It could mean any number of demeaning things... but it didn't. It meant that he was happy she was almost done and happy that he was now able to help get the chore out of the way sooner so they could both go back to doing what they would rather be doing.

It didn't even occur to me until afterwards that what he said could possibly be considered offensive. It is one of the most perfect examples I have encountered of the awesome power of utter guilelessness. The ability dismiss ill will by sheer lack of ill intention is definitely not a skill be underestimated.