A Debt of Kindness

Day 319

I've been driving my husband around a fair amount since he broke his elbow, and he's not thrilled about it. He is the type of guy who is always on the go, and wants to be productive. Being waited on, ferried about and told to sit down and watch a movie is not his style. Ironically, I would love to be to be ordered not to take out the garbage and to settle down for a few hours with the remote and a few dvds, but we take life as it is dealt to us.

Today I picked him up from his pre-op appointment and as we headed to school to pick up the kids, he apologized for the gazillionth time for the inconvenience he was causing me. Well, I said, there is something you could do that would helpful. He was enthusiastic about being the helper rather than the helpee and he asked what it was, thus falling right into my trap. “How about we stop for coffee and you get me a cup and one for a stranger too?” Trapped. Like a kind rat.

He reluctantly agreed. It's not that he is not kind, it is just that this type of thing can feel rather awkward.

After we got ours (I had to carry them of course) he stayed behind and gave the cashier money with instructions to buy a coffee for the next person who looked like they could use a free cup. The cashier responded brightly “Do I get to choose?” “Absolutely!” responded my husband.

I asked him how it felt (I'm a social worker, so I say things like that) and he said “Pretty good, once it was done.” Was it kind of me to leverage his feeling of indebtedness for a kind act? Probably not. But it was a little fun. And in the end, I can say a good time was had by all.