One Clean Shoe

Yesterday, before I left for work, I put the sheets and our duvet cover into the washing machine. I stripped the bed, throwing the sheets and pillowcases onto the floor, and then when I had the duvet off the down comforter I picked up everything and put them directly into the washing machine. When my husband got home he flipped the laundry into the dryer, so when I got home from work at 5:30 p.m. the sheets were clean and dry.

As I’m emptying the dryer, first the pillowcases, and then the sheets, which I carefully shake out because there is usually a stray sock tucked into the pockets of the fitted sheet, I find my husband’s hiking shoe. It’s just sitting there, in the dryer, as if it’s on display or something. And it’s warm, so I know that no one is playing a trick on me by tossing the shoe into the dryer when my back is turned. I hollered to him: WHY IS YOUR SHOE IN THE DRYER?? And he, of course, hollers back: MY HUH IS IN THE WHAT?? So I took his shoe to him and said: YOUR SHOE. IT WAS IN THE DRYER.

Now, I have to tell you that he’s totally opposed to washing his shoes in the washing machine. According to him, that’ll ruin them for sure. And I don’t really want to admit that I washed his shoe. It would be better if I admit that he dried his shoe. But from where his other shoe was located on the floor in the bedroom, I’m pretty sure that when I threw the sheets onto the floor in the morning and then scooped them up, his shoe must have tagged along. I don’t know how he didn’t notice his shoe when he put the sheets into the dryer, but he did say that he wondered why there was a thunking noise when he turned the dryer on.

So there you have it, he’s got one clean shoe. And it’s one of the shoes that he wore when he used a sledgehammer to help my brother demolish his kitchen a few weeks ago. It’s considerably cleaner than the other shoe. CONSIDERABLY.