Myshuno! Prompt #6: Burning dinner
Prompt: Burning dinner (holleyb76)
Characters: Unnamed to prevent spoilers
Rating: G
Summary: Trying to do too many things leads to a minor disaster.
Notes: Canon. Will appear in the next chapter, when I get around to releasing it, so it’s a spoiler. Hence the lack of names.
Word Count: 692
She frowned as she surveyed the living room. Once again, despite her reminders, the children had left their school things and toys strewn across every surface of the room. It was pointless to call them and have them do it themselves; they’d just start playing with them again and forget about the picking them up part. She glanced at the clock and decided that she’d put dinner in the oven before coming back out to tidy things up before her husband arrived home.
Back in the kitchen, she pulled the pork chops she’d planned for supper out of the refrigerator. She seasoned them on both sides, and then put them in the skillet on the stove with some bacon fat to brown them before adding a can of cream of mushroom soup, and then put the whole skillet in the oven to bake. She then quickly peeled potatoes; they would go nicely with the gravy made from the pork chops, and put them on the stove to boil.
Dinner going to her satisfaction, she went back to the living room and began picking up the plethora of toys. Once that was done, she noticed all the fingerprints on the tables, and got out the furniture polish to erase them. After that, she thought she’d pass the vacuum quickly, and before she knew it, it was five thirty and time for her to tidy herself up before her husband came home.
She heard the car pulling into the driveway as she came back downstairs. He came in the door, and she greeted him as she took his coat and hat.
“Is something burning?” he asked. “I thought I smelled smoke coming in.”
“Oh, dear!” she exclaimed as she hurried past him towards the kitchen.
The potatoes she’d put on to boil had done just that all over the stove, and with the water all gone the pan was scorched and smoking. There was more smoke pouring from the oven, which only got worse as she opened the door and yanked out the ruined pork chops.
“What happened?” he asked as she fretted over the mess that was once dinner.
“What happened?” she retorted as she whirled around to glare at him. “What happened is I was trying to be a good wife. What happened was me trying to have a clean house and dinner ready for you when I came home. Honestly I’m surprised it hasn’t happened sooner. Between cooking for and cleaning up after eight children, it’s a wonder that anything else gets done around here.”
“Dear, it can’t be that much work, with them in school all day.”
Her voice rose to a shriek. “How would you know?! You’re never home, always working, always buying more things for them to clutter the house up with that I end up picking up! Yes they’re in school, but that’s the only time I can go grocery shopping. Do you have any idea how often I have to do that to feed eight growing mouths, not to mention my parents, you and myself? And never once have you offered to help with anything, save for the production of yet another child.”
“I thought you wanted a big family.”
“I thought a lot of things when I was young that I’ve come to find out were completely wrong,” she whispered.
He shook his head. “You’re being dramatic. How about you clean up this mess and see what’s in the freezer for dinner? It’s been a long day and I’m hungry.”
He never knew how lucky he was that evening; had the pans on the stove been cool enough to touch, she would have hurled all of them at his head. “I’ve had a long day and I’m hungry too, but I guess that doesn’t matter, does it? No, you know what? I’m not going to make something else for dinner. You can figure it out for once.”
With that, she slammed out of the kitchen, oblivious to the audience of her family that had gathered in the hallway to eavesdrop on the fight. She stormed up to her room and locked the door behind her.
Characters: Unnamed to prevent spoilers
Rating: G
Summary: Trying to do too many things leads to a minor disaster.
Notes: Canon. Will appear in the next chapter, when I get around to releasing it, so it’s a spoiler. Hence the lack of names.
Word Count: 692
She frowned as she surveyed the living room. Once again, despite her reminders, the children had left their school things and toys strewn across every surface of the room. It was pointless to call them and have them do it themselves; they’d just start playing with them again and forget about the picking them up part. She glanced at the clock and decided that she’d put dinner in the oven before coming back out to tidy things up before her husband arrived home.
Back in the kitchen, she pulled the pork chops she’d planned for supper out of the refrigerator. She seasoned them on both sides, and then put them in the skillet on the stove with some bacon fat to brown them before adding a can of cream of mushroom soup, and then put the whole skillet in the oven to bake. She then quickly peeled potatoes; they would go nicely with the gravy made from the pork chops, and put them on the stove to boil.
Dinner going to her satisfaction, she went back to the living room and began picking up the plethora of toys. Once that was done, she noticed all the fingerprints on the tables, and got out the furniture polish to erase them. After that, she thought she’d pass the vacuum quickly, and before she knew it, it was five thirty and time for her to tidy herself up before her husband came home.
She heard the car pulling into the driveway as she came back downstairs. He came in the door, and she greeted him as she took his coat and hat.
“Is something burning?” he asked. “I thought I smelled smoke coming in.”
“Oh, dear!” she exclaimed as she hurried past him towards the kitchen.
The potatoes she’d put on to boil had done just that all over the stove, and with the water all gone the pan was scorched and smoking. There was more smoke pouring from the oven, which only got worse as she opened the door and yanked out the ruined pork chops.
“What happened?” he asked as she fretted over the mess that was once dinner.
“What happened?” she retorted as she whirled around to glare at him. “What happened is I was trying to be a good wife. What happened was me trying to have a clean house and dinner ready for you when I came home. Honestly I’m surprised it hasn’t happened sooner. Between cooking for and cleaning up after eight children, it’s a wonder that anything else gets done around here.”
“Dear, it can’t be that much work, with them in school all day.”
Her voice rose to a shriek. “How would you know?! You’re never home, always working, always buying more things for them to clutter the house up with that I end up picking up! Yes they’re in school, but that’s the only time I can go grocery shopping. Do you have any idea how often I have to do that to feed eight growing mouths, not to mention my parents, you and myself? And never once have you offered to help with anything, save for the production of yet another child.”
“I thought you wanted a big family.”
“I thought a lot of things when I was young that I’ve come to find out were completely wrong,” she whispered.
He shook his head. “You’re being dramatic. How about you clean up this mess and see what’s in the freezer for dinner? It’s been a long day and I’m hungry.”
He never knew how lucky he was that evening; had the pans on the stove been cool enough to touch, she would have hurled all of them at his head. “I’ve had a long day and I’m hungry too, but I guess that doesn’t matter, does it? No, you know what? I’m not going to make something else for dinner. You can figure it out for once.”
With that, she slammed out of the kitchen, oblivious to the audience of her family that had gathered in the hallway to eavesdrop on the fight. She stormed up to her room and locked the door behind her.