Stubbornness

Mom and Dad could both be stubborn at times, but it was rare that they both became stubborn at the same time. One night they locked horns. Earlier, Dad was upset that Mom had walked into the bathroom while he was inside. He was in a huff about it, but quickly forgot that it occurred until he walked into the bathroom while Mom was inside. They started to argue. Mom said, “I can’t come into the bathroom while you’re in here, but it’s okay for you to walk in on me while I’m using the bathroom?”

Dad replied, “I can be in here if I want to.”

Mom said, “If I can’t be in here while you’re in here, you need to get out.”

“I’m not leaving until you do.” Dad retorted.

Dad refused to move out and Mom refused to leave as long as Dad was still in the bathroom.

“Kids,” Mom called. “Get me a blanket and a pillow.”

I don’t remember which of us got the pillow and blanket, but Mom laid claim to the bathtub and settled in for the night.

In a way, Dad was more stubborn. He claimed the bathroom floor, but refused to call us to fetch him a pillow or a blanket. He slept on the bathroom rug. It had to be hard sleeping on the floor, but his stubborn pride kept him riveted to the floor through the whole night.

Mom had an ace up her sleeve. This argument started Saturday night and Mom knew that Dad would not miss church in the morning and he would have to leave before her. She was right. Dad left first. All it accomplished was that they both ended up stiff and sore.

I’m glad that none of us kids had to use the bathroom that night. You know what they say, “Two’s company, but three’s a crowd.

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In a similar vein, Dad was never late for anything. His motto was. “If you’re not early, you’re late.” He worked at Walworth Valve Company in Greensburg, Pennsylvania for twenty-nine years and was late only once. (In that time he only missed three days of work due to surgery and hospitalization.)

I am not sure he would have walked into the factory the day he was late except he was the driver in a car pool with two other men. The roads were slick with snow and ice. The conditions for driving were horrendous.

On a normal day, the drive from home to work took about thirty-five minutes, but that day, it took them nearly three hours to make the trip. When one of the men got out of the car to check road conditions on a steep hill they would have to navigate, his rubber booted feet slipped out from under him and he fell.

It was normal at the factory if someone came in late, the other workers would grab a tool or a metal bar and bang on metal drum or table to loudly announce the arrival of the late worker, but those men who had made it in and were working were so surprised to see my dad that there was silence. No one banged on anything. Many of the local people who lived in town hadn’t made it in, but Dad had who had a long drive had made it in to work.