one day I was in this
shop in Warsaw that sells silk,
looking for some
new material
for a shirt.
I showed the her the
Silk shirt I already had,
Just to give her an idea
Of what I wanted.
I guess you sent it to
the dry cleaner,
the shop clerk suggested,
commenting on how clean
and nicely ironed my shirt was.
no, I said.
I washed it
myself
by hand
with some
special soap for silk.
you did? she queried
and grimaced.
really? She asked.
yes. And I also ironed it, I said.
did I do something wrong? I asked.
no, but? she said.
what's wrong? I asked my Polish friend.
does she think I'm lying?
why would I lie about washing a shirt?
she just can't believe
that a man would
wash a shirt,
much less iron it also.
in Poland men
almost never do
such things, my friend explained.
well I do,
and for almost 30 years, I said.
a few days later
my friend Magda
was visiting me:
oh, is that a new shirt? she asked,
pointing to a cotton shirt on a hanger.
no, I said. I've had it for a year.
Really ? did you wash it yourself? she asked.
yes, and ironed it also, I said.
REALLY? she exclaimed.
yes. I do it all the time, I said.
REALLY?
yes. I have a
washing machine,
ironing board,
and iron right here
in the kitchen.
Wow! This is even
better than a
woman could do it!
she exclaimed
with admiration
and disbelief in her eyes
and a big smile on her face.
Thank you, I said, still perplexed.
Now, maybe I'm
missing something here,
but what is the
big deal about
washing and
ironing a shirt?
mom taught me
how to do that
when I was a little boy.
in fact,
ironing shirts
and pillow cases
and handkerchiefs
with mom is
one of
my fondest
memories from childhood.
Ah yes.
Maybe that's why I still do it.
