THE NARRATIVE ARC

A Good Scolding From an Old Ghost

She told me my privilege is showing

I doubt these ladies would have much sympathy for my troubles. The one on the left is reading a pre-ebook. The one in the middle is using a precursor to the cellphone. Photo by Boston Public Library on Unsplash

Nothing makes you appreciate modern conveniences like doing without them. But an imagined conversation with the ghost of the original lady of the house where I now live reminded me that convenience comes with a high price.

I have been washing the dishes in a plastic tub for two days because the kitchen sink stopped draining and I’ll do anything to avoid paying a plumber the weekend rate.

My son came over for breakfast this morning, and I explained my method to him. I place a plastic tub in the sink, direct the faucet into it to wash and rinse each piece individually, and then carry the tub out to the deck and dump the dirty dishwater into the side yard.

Then, it’s back to the kitchen sink for another round.

Two days ago — right after I’d taken advantage of a sale on overripe bananas to make seven loaves of banana-nut bread for the freezer — the kitchen sink decided it was just done. The detritus from the marathon bake-a-thon filled every counter, so the timing wasn’t great.

My husband is a seasoned do-it-yourselfer

But the clog defeated him. After spending most of a precious warm fall Saturday…